Pubdate: Wed, 04 Oct 2017
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2017 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact:  http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Leon Stafford

POLICE CHIEF: NEW LAW DOESN'T LEGALIZE POT

You might want to think twice before you light up that joint in
Piedmont Park or anywhere else in the city of Atlanta.

The drug is still illegal, despite Monday's move by the Atlanta City
Council to eliminate jail time and reduce the penalty for possession
of small amounts of marijuana, Atlanta Police Chief Erica Shields said
Tuesday.

In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Shields said
some media and advocates of cannabis decriminalization are confusing
the public by suggesting the Council's action gives Atlanta residents
permission to use pot without consequence.

"In the weeks leading up to this, there has been all this emphasis on
decriminalization and legalization, and that is not what the ordinance
is," she said. "The ordinance is not written requiring anything
different of law enforcement. The ordinance strictly deals with the
city courts and municipal court and their fine process.
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MAP posted-by: Matt