Daytona Beach, FL -If County Councilman Josh Wagner gets what he wants possession of small amounts of marijuana in unincorporated parts of the county would be treated like a traffic ticket and not land you behind bars.
The Volusia County Council is considering a proposal made by Wagner during a meeting last month.
Speaking to WNDB’s Marc Bernier on Monday, Wagner says he wants to give local law enforcement the option of a fine for those caught with less than 20 grams of cannabis, with the money to remain in the hands of local government.
“Let’s say it’s a group of people and they have a joint,” Wagner said. “The officer would have that discretion to take it and, instead of doing a notice to appear, it will allow the people to go and pay a civil citation.”
Wagner’s plan would only apply to those parts of the county that are unincorporated, all of which are patrolled by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. Cities could have the option to opt in, however.
Wagner said during the interview that the amount of the fine hasn’t been set in stone since that’s a detail that county staff has to work through, but he thinks it’ll be somewhere around $250.
The Democrat also argued that it made sense to do this so the court docket wouldn’t remain “flooded” with such cases and because most of those who are convicted are already paying money to cover the fines and court costs.
Wagner also felt that decriminalizing marijuana in this manner would help lots more people get jobs because they won’t have to put on a job application that they’ve been arrested or convicted for marijuana possession.
That proposal would need to come back to the VCC for a vote before it can take effect.
Other Florida counties – namely Miami-Dade and Palm Beach – have a similar policy in place.
Florida law currently charges anyone with possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana with a misdemeanor that is punishable by jail time.
This comes as Floridians are likely to go to the ballot box in 2016 to vote on an amendment allowing medical marijuana. A similar amendment fell just short of the 60% it needed to pass in 2014.
4 states – Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington – have legalized pot for recreational use. Many others have already done so for medical reasons.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.