Austin police will stop arrests, tickets in most low-level marijuana cases - Cannabis News

The decision to back away from pursuing criminal charges against people with small amounts of pot comes after state lawmakers legalized hemp last year in a way that threw marijuana prosecution into chaos.

The Austin City Council approved a resolution Thursday that will largely end arrests and fines for low-level marijuana possession.

This comes after Texas' legalization of hemp last June threw marijuana prosecution into chaos since the plants look and smell identical.

The resolution directs Austin police not to spend city resources on newly necessary lab tests to distinguish marijuana from now-legal hemp.

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Jolie McCullough and Naomi Andu ~ TexasTribune.org ~