The City of Sarasota took a pretty big step today toward legalizing marijuana. The City Commission voted unanimously to approve a Cannabis Civil Citation Ordinance, which decriminalizes marijuana possession in the City of Sarasota. The new law will go into effect in 90 days.
This doesn't mean marijuana is completely legal; it just makes it a civil issue rather than a criminal one. \
Currently, if someone is found with less than 20 grams of marijuana, violators are arrested and face prison time and loss of their driver’s license. This new Cannabis Civil Citation will instead only require violators to pay a $100 fine or complete 10 hours of community service. If marijuana is legalized in the state, the ordinance will expire.
I personally think this is a step in the right direction. Florida voted to legalize marijuana in 2016, but the laws have yet to take effect, as each county is trying to decide how it wants to proceed. I hardly see how it makes sense to fill our prisons with nonviolent marijuana offenders, so I think this is great. Curious as to your thoughts.
[ABC7]