Florida Counties Look to Stop Marijuana Arrests

Marchers in Philadelphia rally for decriminalization

Across the Sunshine State county governments are decriminalizing marijuana.

Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe (home of Key West) and Palm Beach county governments passed laws that allow tickets instead of handcuffs for marijuana.

These are the most populous areas of Florida.

Now Volusia County is considering a similar move. That county is the home to the state’s largest attractions like Disney World.

Fox 35 in Orlando reports:

Volusia County Councilman Josh Wagner wants to bring forward a resolution that would decriminalize marijuana, and he has received some initial support for his idea. Wagner wonders if jail is the best place for people found with less than 20 grams of pot.

«My philosophy is: do we even need that in this day and age? Statistically, people aren’t dying over smoking a joint. I mean that’s just the reality.»

Whole states like California, Massachusetts, Maryland and Delaware have decriminalized personal possession of cannabis by adults.

Municipal level decrim has also been gaining stem across America.

Milwaukee, Philadelphia and most recently Pittsburgh have made similar moves.

When cities our counties make the shift police can still arrest under state laws but have the option of issuing tickets instead.

Philadelphia has seen an almost 80% reduction in arrests under the new policy.