Mayoral candidate seeks expungement of criminal marijuana records and the release of those serving time under Atlanta’s old ordinance.
Kwanza Hall, the Atlanta City Councilman praised for pushing through legislation to reduce marijuana penalties within city boundaries, called on the Georgia General Assembly to adopt the same measure and requested the expunction of criminal marijuana records as well as the release those incarcerated for simple marijuana possession.
Reduced Marijuana Penalties in the ATL
Passed by the Atlanta City Council with a 15-0 vote on Oct. 2, Hall’s bill was signed into law by Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Prior to the passage and implementation of Hall’s legislation, individuals caught with less than 1 ounce of marijuana faced the very real possibility of spending up to six months in jail and paying a $1,000 fine.
Under Atlanta’s new ordinance, those found lacking discretion and in possession of less than 1 ounce of weed will now be subjected to a $75 ticket … and no incarceration.
Set Free with a Clean Record?
Announced Wednesday night during the Atlanta mayoral forum, Councilman Hall took his reform proposals one step further. If elected the next mayor of Atlanta, Hall announced he would expunge the criminal marijuana records of “anyone charged after July 1, 2013,” according to 11Alive Atlanta.
After some early confusion over whether Mayor Reed signed Hall’s marijuana legislation, Mayor Reed took to the airwaves to dispel what many believed was a politically-motivated “mistake.”
