The Dallas City Council will again consider stopping the Dallas Police Department?s policy to arrest people for possessing small amounts of marijuana, next week. Five members of the City Council, who pressed on the policy but didn?t obtain the approval, have pushed cite-and-release back on the council calendar. The policy permits authorities to issue tickets for marijuana possession instead of making arrests. The present penalties for marijuana possession would stay unchanged: a $2,000 fine and up to six months in jail for possession of two ounces or less.
When the council brought up cite-and-release this past year, then Dallas Police Chief David Brown opposed the policy out of concern that police authority would be reduced by it. This time around, the department, under Interim Police Chief David Pughes, means to follow whatever recommendation the council gives by next Wednesday.
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