Music City Goes For Toke

The city’s Metro Council passed a measure by a vote of 35-3 Sept. 20 to give police the option of penalizing those caught with less than half an ounce of marijuana with a $50 fine. That fine can be commuted by a judge to 10 hours of community service. The reduced-penalty would be processed as a civil penalty, rather than a criminal conviction, which critics say will be more difficult to expunge from offenders’ records.

“As much as I’d like to think we’re cutting edge on this one, we’re not … We’re catching up,” Councilman Dave Rosenberg told the Tennessean. “All this bill does is give police the option of not treating someone with a little pot like a hardened criminal.”

Nashville musician Todd Snider told the New York Times the fact that local radio stations are openly referencing marijuana shows the public is becoming more permissive of the drug’s use.

“That’s the barometer … Those guys don’t say stuff that mom don’t tolerate. And mom’s like, ‘Ah, pot’s not so bad anymore.’”

Conservative state legislators have suggested denying funds to cities that don’t enforce penalties described in state law. The last step before the bill becomes law is a signoff from Mayor Megan Barry, who has already publicly expressed her support for the initiative.