Daytona Beach, FL-The Daytona Beach City Commission discussed the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana during a Wednesday night meeting. The ordinance will be rewritten before it is reconsidered at a meeting later this month. Some commission members thought it was too broadly written.
Commissioner Pam Woods said she received a number of emails about the issue and asked Deputy City Attorney Robert Jagger to explain what was in the ordinance to the Commission and the general public.
Police Chief Michael Chitwood told the commission that city officers already treat possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana as a second-degree misdemeanor, unless another crime is involved. Chitwood referred to last night's discussion as only making the current policy of the police department match the wording of the ordinance. Chitwood told the panel, "We are not changing the way we operate."
After about 15 minutes of discussion, Mayor Derrick Henry called for the vote. The City Commission approved the first reading of the move to amend the ordinance by a vote of 7-0. There will be another vote and a public hearing on the reworded ordinance at the next regular scheduled meeting on May 18 and a public hearing is anticipated.
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