Gwinnett County, Georgia’s Solicitor General will no longer prosecute misdemeanor cannabis cases and the county police department will no longer make arrests or issue citations for misdemeanor amounts of cannabis, according to a Patch report.
According to the agencies, the decision follows the legalization of hemp in Georgia and the Gwinnett County authorities say neither they nor the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have a THC concentration test that is acceptable for courts.
In a release, GCPD said that the testing issue “is being thoroughly investigated to make sure that arrests made by GCPD are proper and legal.”
“The GBI is researching methods and technologies to address this issue. GCPD Crime Scene Investigators, who conduct GCPD’s in-house marijuana testing, are trained and certified by the GBI. While certified in current procedures, GCPD must rely upon the GBI to establish protocol and training on this new matter before in-house testing for THC concentration can occur.” — GCPD, in a statement, via Patch
GCPD will still investigate and make arrests for felony cannabis cases. The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office will review and prosecute those on a case-by-case basis, GCPD said.
Hemp legalization has also forced some Texas cities to drop cannabis cases over the plant’s similarities to cannabis with THC concentrations higher than 0.3 percent – which defines hemp. Of the state’s 10 most populous counties, just one district attorney indicated they would continue prosecuting low-level cannabis cases.
In Florida, some law enforcement agencies indicated they would stop detaining people for cannabis odor because it could be either hemp or THC-rich cannabis.
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