Low-Level Marijuana Offenders Can Avoid Charges with Travis County Class

SAN FRANCISCO – JULY 25: Staarla Heaney hand rolls marijuana cigarettes at the San Francisco Patients Cooperative, a medical cannabis cooperative, July 25, 2002 in San Francisco, California. A San Francisco city supervisor has drafted a proposal allowing voters in San Francisco to decide whether the city should consider getting into the marijuana growing business. […]

by: Jacqulyn Powell (KXAN)

Posted: Dec 20, 2017 / 08:55 PM CST

Updated: Dec 20, 2017 / 08:55 PM CST

Beginning in January, it will be easier to avoid criminal charges if caught with a small amount of marijuana in Travis County.

The Travis County Commissioners Court approved a proposal Tuesday to allow low-level offenders to take a four-hour marijuana class rather than going through the court system.

First-time offenders who are cited with 2 ounces or less of the drug will have the option to either go through the criminal justice system the traditional way or pay $45 to take the course within 60 days.

Assistant County Attorney Dan Hamre says it’s a way to ease some of the burden on the county’s clogged court system while allowing low-level offenders an affordable second chance at not having a criminal record.

Being caught with less than 2 ounces of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

The four-hour marijuana classes will be held by Travis County’s Counseling and Education Services. Instructors will focus on marijuana laws, myths and misconceptions, and the effect of marijuana on the brain, as well as the role marijuana, can play in addiction.

(Story from KXAN.com)