COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The city council in Columbus is seeking public input online and in-person about the legality of marijuana.
The questions are:
- Do you believe medical marijuana should be legal?
- Do you believe marijuana for recreational/personal use should be legal?
- Do you believe the City of Columbus should reduce criminal penalties for low-level marijuana possession?
- Do you believe the City of Columbus should eliminate criminal penalties for low-level marijuana possession?
- Do you support the City funding a program to help residents convicted of low-level offenses having their records sealed to increase access to housing and employment opportunities?
The idea is to lessen the criminal aspect of marijuana.
NBC4i.com reached out to Council President Shannon G. Hardin and Councilmember Shayla Favor for comment. Neither were available on Tuesday, but Hardin did say in a news release, “We want to know what residents think about on proposed reforms.”
“We are having serious conversations about inequalities in the criminal justice system,” Hardin said. “There are two key elements to the proposal: lowering fines for small amounts of marijuana possession and increasing funds for legal aid attorneys to help seal records for minor convictions so Columbus residents can get good-paying jobs.”
The idea didn’t seem to sit well with a local Columbus Division of Police Chief Deputy Kenneth Kuebler. His Twitter page has a number of posts about criminal justice inequalities.
The veteran lawman compared a 20-year-old holding a beer could be charged a $1,000 fine and a person with 400 joints of marijuana being charged a $25 fine.
You can access the survey by CLICKING HERE or you can attend the public meeting on Thursday, July 18 at 5:30 pm in Council Chambers at 90 W. Broad Street. To participate in person, you must complete a speaker slip between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on the day of the event.
