Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests May End In Jefferson County

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL - With crowded prisons in the state, overworked law enforcement personnel and an increasing acceptance of marijuana use, arrests for some marijuana offenses may become a thing of the past in Jefferson County. Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice Washington said she and other county officials are collaborating on a policy that would put an end to arrests for some non-violent misdemeanors, including simple marijuana possession.

“It is no secret that Jefferson County, like others around the country, is plagued with overcrowded jails," Washington said in a press release this week. “Now that the Jefferson County, Bessemer jail is closed for renovations, the need to address overcrowding is even more urgent."

Washington said she, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and Sheriff Mark Pettway have collaborated to implement the procedure, which is known as the “Big Ticket.”

Under the “Big Ticket” program, offenses such as simple marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and harassment would no longer call for an arrest.

The entire state may also follow suit. A proposed bill that would revise the crime of unlawful possession of marijuana in Alabama passed in a Senate committee vote Wednesday.

SB98 was introduced on March 19 by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro as a companion bill to Rep. Laura Hall’s marijuana bill, HB96.

The ACLU has dubbed this the “marijuana reclassification bill” as it will revise the charges associated with low-level marijuana possession offenses, changing some current felony charges to misdemeanors. The ACLU states, “This new bill would change the penalties so that personal use is not arbitrarily defined but determined by weight.”

If passed, some marijuana convictions would also not appear on a person’s criminal record.