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Marijuana ordinance passes Louisville Metro Council committee

Councilman Coan, who filed the ordinance, said the measure is not a free pass.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With three votes in favor and one against, the Louisville Metro Council Public Safety Committee took the next step in passing an ordinance that would encourage police to not arrest or cite someone for possessing a small amount of marijuana.

"It's not about legalization of marijuana. It's not about recreational use. It's not about medical marijuana. It's at its very fundamental level about social justice,” Councilman Brandon Coan said.

"The black community is arrested six times more for cannabis than anyone else. That's going to change,” Councilman Dan Seum said.

Coan, who filed the ordinance, said the measure is not a free pass. Under state law, possession of marijuana is still a misdemeanor and can carry up to 45 days in jail. However, Coan said he hopes this ordinance, while not prohibiting officers from making arrests or issuing citations, will give officers discretion in cases where an adult has less than half an ounce of marijuana and is not harming anyone else.

"We think that police officers should be using their limited resources trying to focus on violent crimes and other serious crimes, and crime where certain populations aren't being disproportionately impacted,” Coan said.

Not everyone was on board. Councilman Mark Fox, a former police officer, was the lone ‘no’ vote. He fears the ordinance will make it harder for police officers to work and can cause confusion.

"What's going to happen when one of our citizens thinks it's decriminalized, goes out to a park and fires up a joint and finds themselves arrested or cited?” Fox said.

Supporters of the ordinance, like advocate Seum, said they hope this will lead the rest of the state towards legalizing marijuana.

"Right now, I think this is a major step for Jefferson County to show Frankfort that we're serious about this,” Seum said.

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