Proposal to eliminate jail time for marijuana

An elected Mississippi city official says she might propose decriminalizing possession of relatively small amounts of marijuana.

Hattiesburg City Councilwoman Deborah Delgado has been publicly discussing the idea of eliminating jail time for possessing less than 30 grams (one ounce) of the drug. She says several ministers are against it.

Mississippi law says possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by fines of $100 to $250 for a first offense. Subsequent offenses of less than 30 grams are punishable by up to six months of jail and a $500 fine. Delgado’s proposal would leave the fine in place.