MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Morgantown city council unanimously approved a marijuana decriminalization ordinance on the second reading.
Third Ward councilman Zachery Cruz is glad the measure passed, but says it really doesn’t go far enough.
“I’m excited that we’re passing this, personally I don’t think it goes far enough,”Cruze said,”I’ll take the political risk because I don’t care, I’m for 100 percent legalization.”
The ordinance sets the maximum penalty for possession of 15 grams or less at zero time incarceration, reduces the maximum fine to no more than $15 and gives Morgantown officers the discretion to use municipal or state code.
Councilman from the Sixth Ward, Dave Harshbarger says the challenge now is to communicate to the community, what it means and what it does not mean.
“Just today, I was clarifying with someone who had a question about decriminalization,”Harshbarger said,”I had to explain that it is not, we are giving police another option at their discretion to issue a lower level penalty.”
Deputy mayor Rachel Fetty cautioned against the concept, but voted in favor.
“Marijuana, alcohol and any kind of drug is really profoundly bad for the developing brain,”Fetty said,”For brains that have any inclination for addiction this substance can be problematic.”
Barry Wendell, 7th Ward told WVU students in support of the ordinance to rally their student leaders and staff.
“If you’re a WVU student you could still be arrested by WVU police and sent to Magistrate Court and you could be jailed for six months and kicked out of school,”Wendell said,”That’s WVU’s policy and if you’re a WVU person you need to work with them to change that policy because we can’t do it.”