With attitudes on decriminalization or legalization of marijuana shifting nationwide, the Alachua County Commission is set to decide Tuesday whether to give sheriff’s deputies the option of giving civil citations to people caught with small amounts of pot.
County commissioners initially supported the more lenient approach in a vote back in January. Tuesday night is the official vote on an ordinance establishing possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana as a civil infraction in the county code and giving Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies discretion to write a civil citation instead of charging a person criminally through arrest or a notice to appear in court.
County Commissioner Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson started pushing for the less severe penalties back in 2013. Hutchinson said he wants to reduce the number of people going through the criminal justice system and potentially having a criminal conviction or a public record of criminal charges hanging over their heads. A conviction brings as much as a year in jail and up to $1,000 fine along with a suspended driver’s license. It can cost someone a job, a chance to get a job, financial aid for college or a spot in public housing.
He said the decision to issue a citation would be voluntary for the Sheriff’s Office.
“The sheriff is under no obligation to ever use this,” he said.
