Austin City Councilmember Greg Casar has put forward a resolution that proposes the decriminalization of low-level marijuana offenses Last year, House Bill 1325 was signed into law which made hemp legal for farming Since then, it has been difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between marijuana and hemp which has led to many district attorneys to not prosecute low-level marijuana charges Under the resolution, Austin police would not be able to issue citations or fines for misdemeanor marijuana possession or make arrests unless the subject poses a danger to the public Even further, the resolution would not allow time or money spent on pursuing new testing methods required to distinguish hemp from marijuana And in misdemeanor cases in which a suspect did not intend to sell, testing for THC would be prohibited The resolution is co-sponsored by Council Members Delia Garza, Jimmy Flannigan and Natasha Harper-Madison, who, along with Greg Casar, make up the council’s judicial committee In order to pass the resolution, two more council members’ vote would be needed The resolution will be up for a vote at the council’s meeting on January 23

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