Mobile, Alabama officials are exploring increasing the penalties for individuals caught using marijuana in public.
Earlier this month, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch announced ‘Operation Up in Smoke‘ to make it clear to residents and visitors of the port city that smoking marijuana is an arrestable offence — and officers will be vigilant.
“Marijuana is not legal anywhere in the state of Alabama and has not been legalized Federally. This purposeful disregard for obeying the law will not be tolerated in Mobile County,” the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said in a strong statement to accompany the campaign’s launch.
Mobile City Councilman Joel Daves said he would sponsor a bill that would make public marijuana use a ticketable offense rather than a criminal one. Previously in 2017, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson sponsored a similar ordinance that would result in citations, but it failed to pass.
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In the initial release, Burch reminded Mobile that marijuana is still illegal in the state of Alabama — and the city would be cracking down.
“The open use of marijuana has become common in several public areas throughout Mobile County. We witnessed this during Mardi Gras and see it at grocery stores and all major shopping centers…If you choose to consume marijuana in the confines of your home, and we do not condone that you do, that is a risk you choose to take,” Operation Up in Smoke said.
“This operation is about the public outcry of others who do not wish to participate or expose their families to illegal drugs. Marijuana is not legal anywhere in the state of Alabama and has not been legalized Federally. This purposeful disregard for obeying the law will not be tolerated in Mobile County.”
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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