District Attorney Kim Ogg is set to introduce a new policy that will decriminalize low-level possession of marijuana within Harris County.
Officials have told The Houston Chronicle that the policy, which is set to begin March 1, will allow misdemeanor offenders with less than four ounces of marijuana to not be arrested, ticketed or required to appear in court if they agree to take a four-hour drug education class.
"We have spent in excess of $250 million, over a quarter-billion dollars, prosecuting a crime that has produced no tangible evidence of improved public safety," Ogg said. "We have disqualified, unnecessarily, thousands of people from greater job, housing and educational opportunities by giving them a criminal record for what is, in effect, a minor law violation."
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