MARLBOROUGH - The City Council last night unanimously approved an ordinance that heightens the potential penalty for public marijuana use.

Police officers can now issue a criminal complaint and impose a $300 fine on anyone caught using marijuana in public in the city. State voters last year passed Question 2, which decriminalized possession of an ounce or less of marijuana and made the penalty a civil citation of $100.

The ordinance is one more tool for the police department and the code enforcement office in dealing with the issue of marijuana use, Ward 2 Councilor Paul Ferro said.

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