St. Pete Moves to Decriminalize Pot Possession

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Getting caught with a small amount of pot within the St. Petersburg city limits may not involve a criminal arrest for much longer.

At least that will be the case if the city chooses to join a number of others that have made moves to decriminalize marijuana possession for amounts less than 20 grams. A proposal to do just that was floated Thursday by Council member Steve Kornell, several media outlets have reported. Under Kornell’s plan, possession of 20 grams or less would result in a civil citation instead of a misdemeanor criminal arrest.

The move, Kornell said, is prompted by his desire to see equal justice within the city.

“Blacks are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession,” he was quoted by Bay News 9 as saying. “The poorer you are, the harsher the penalties you get because you can’t afford to hire an attorney and you end up with it on your record.”

How soon a plan will be put together for the council to consider remains unclear.

Communities, such as Miami Beach, Miami-Dade and Hallandale Beach, have passed similar measures in recent months. In Leon and Miami-Dade counties those caught with small amounts of marijuana face fines rather than criminal charges.

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