Boonville Policies for enforcing marijuana offenses and penalty provisions ordinance (§ 14-114)

The purpose of this section is to ensure that adults, as defined by state criminal statutes, and subject to the provisions of section 14-118 hereinafter set out, are not arrested for "misdemeanor" marijuana offenses prosecuted under this article VI, and that such persons sustain only a municipal ordinance violation rather than a state criminal conviction for such offenses. It is further recommended that such persons generally suffer only a fine and/or community service or counseling, and that the imposition of a jail sentence or a suspended jail sentence is generally not available as a punishment for the possession of a "misdemeanor" amount of marijuana and/or marijuana paraphernalia, except as otherwise provided in this article VI. This section shall be liberally construed for the accomplishment of these stated objectives. The intended message of this section is that persons should not be denied the opportunity for education and employment because of unauthorized, limited personal marijuana use. It is further the purpose of this section to indicate that the limited resources of municipal law enforcement should be directed primarily toward crimes of violence and property loss rather than the enforcement of laws against limited marijuana use.