City Council of Volusia, Florida Unanimously Passes Cannabis Decrim Bill
The City Council of Volusia, Florida has unanimously passed an ordinance that establishes a ticket for those caught possessing up to 20 grams of cannabis, similar to laws passed recently in Miami-Dade, Florida’s largest county, as well as Broward County, Key West, West Palm Beach, Tampa and Hallandale Beach. Under current law possessing up to 20 grams of cannabis is punishable by up to a year in prison, and a criminal misdemeanor; police don’t have the authority currently to issue just a ticket.
Under the new law, police officers will have the option of issuing a $100 civil citation to someone caught with 20 grams or less of cannabis rather than being legally forced to issue a misdemeanor (punishable by up to a year in prison) as the current law stands. Clearly this isn’t a perfect law, as officer’s shouldn’t even have the option of giving a misdemeanor for cannabis possession, it’s still a step in the right direction.
Volusia is a small city, with an estaimated population of around 600.
