Atlanta, Georgia Pushes for Decriminalization

Atlanta has long since been a hotbed for culture, music and forward-thinking ideas in the south. So it comes as no surprise that while a lot of other cities remain ensconced in prohibition, the Georgia city is making some serious moves towards decriminalization.

According to the Atlantic Journal Constitution, the Atlanta City Council will make a decision sometime this month about whether or not to lower fines to $75 for smoking cannabis in public and get rid of jail time. The penalty is currently $1,000 for smoking in public, as well as up to six months of jail time for the offense.

Advocates in Atlanta claim that this step would help in getting rid of the drug laws that many in the south consider to be discriminatory towards minorities. The Racial Justice Action Center states that 92 percent of the people arrested in Atlanta, Georgia for cannabis between 2014 and 2016 were African American. The American Civil Liberties Union claims that between 2001 and 2010, African Americans were 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis nationally than Caucasians.

This hopeful news comes after months of cannabis decriminalization debates in the city have already been underway. The Atlantic Public Safety/Legal Administration Committee debated the same issue back in February. The committee meeting invited the public to speak on the topic, where advocates like Dean Steed said that it needs to be implemented soon.“Why should we have to wait? How many more people have to die before you all people on City Council taken action? Today, not tomorrow, not one more minute, not one more life,” Steed said.

Residents of Atlanta are getting fed up with the strict laws surrounding cannabis in Georgia, but all of the action and push surrounding this issue may make Atlanta the next city to decriminalize cannabis.