Nashville’s Metro Council made history Tuesday by approving the city’s first measure to allow lesser civil penalties for people caught with small amounts of marijuana, but it may set the stage for a confrontation with the state.
Meanwhile, some Nashville judges are now raising concerns that moving minor marijuana possession cases from criminal to civil court may give people fewer options to later erase those encounters from the public record.
The council voted 35-3 to give final approval of legislation that will give Nashville police the option of reducing the penalty for people who are found in knowing possession of a half-ounce of marijuana or less to a $50 fine or 10 hours of community service.
Councilman Dave Rosenberg, lead sponsor of the bill, told his colleagues that efforts aimed at marijuana decriminalization have become commonplace across the country. He reeled off a long list of cities and states as examples, noting that even the conservative Deep South state of Mississippi has a law on the books.
"All this bill does is give police the option of not treating someone with a little pot like a hardened criminal," Rosenberg said. "Because when you start treating good members of our society like criminals they begin acting like criminals.
