CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts proposed a new ordinance to decriminalize possession of marijuana.
Specifically, Roberts came before the Clayton County Board of Commissioners to propose decriminalizing possessing less than an ounce of marijuana.
According to the police chief, he wants to provide alternatives to jail time for possession of less than an ounce.
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The ordinance, as proposed, would only apply to cases with less than one ounce of marijuana, would not include jail time and would not affect your driving record.
If the ordinance is passed, it would classify the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana as an ordinance violation rather than a criminal offense and would allow the county to issue a $150 civil citation fine.
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Offenders would also be redirected to community resources for education and recovery, according to the text of the ordinance.
During a presentation made in January, Roberts said only a few Georgia cities had ordinances making similar changes to county codes.
While he said at the time only Atlanta, Savannah, the City of South Fulton and Augusta had those ordinances, in the time since, Macon-Bibb County and Fulton County had passed similar measures.
The City of Kennesaw is also considering such an ordinance, though the city council has not yet come to a decision.
“He confirmed that both the Solicitor’s Office and the Magistrate Court Judge, who were present in the meeting, endorse the ordinance. They also recognize that the county jail currently houses several individuals arrested for such minor offenses,” according to the county.
Roberts asked the commissioners to consider adopting the new ordinance at their next meeting.
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