St. Pete Ponders Decriminalizing Pot Possession
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ST. PETERSBURG (CBSMiami/AP) — Committee members on the St. Petersburg City Council have requested the county to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
They also authorized city attorneys to draft a municipal ordinance in case the county doesn't act.
The Tampa Bay Times reports council member Steve Kornell, a school guidance counselor, proposed the city ordinance Thursday.
His proposal would allow police to give a ticket with a fine to someone possessing 20 grams or less of marijuana -- about 3/4 of an ounce.
St. Petersburg Police Department attorney Sasha Lohn-McDermott recommended that any civil citation program be a countywide ordinance with "teeth" that allows police to collect data on offenders and sets deadlines for fines to be paid.
Miami-Dade, Miami Beach, Fernandina Beach and Hallandale Beach have implemented civil citation programs this year.
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