GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Under a new proposal in Green Bay, the penalty for getting caught with pot in your home would be less severe than if you were caught in public.
It’s all part of an overall push to weaken the penalties for pot possession in the city.
After months of debate and rewrites, Green Bay’s protection and policy committee moved forward a new pot possession ordinance proposal last night.
Green Bay Alderman Randy Scannell spoke to FOX 11…
“The main purpose for this for me is to drive this away from a criminal court, not put felony records on people. That is totally unfair.”
Under the current ordinance, someone caught with 25 grams of pot could be fined up to $1,000.
Repeat offenders must be referred to the district attorney for criminal charges.
“I’m for keeping the ordinance as is,” said John Vander Leest, a Green Bay alderman.
Under the new proposal, someone caught in public with 28 grams, which is an ounce, could be fined up to $500.
Someone caught in their home could be fined up to $250. Community service is also a possible substitute penalty or could be paired with a fine.
The requirement of a criminal referral for repeat offenders would be removed in the new ordinance.
Dawn Radford, a Green Bay resident who supports marijuana legalization, says this proposal is a step in the right direction.
“This is shaping up to be quite a comprehensive measure, so much so that I don’t think I’d be exaggerating if I said you might be crafting a model for the rest of the state.”
But Vander Leest says the move is out of step.
“What kind of message are we sending to our community?. I think we have a drug problem in the City of Green Bay and Brown County overall as a whole.”
The full city council will vote on the pot penalty package proposal next Tuesday.
