Expand / Collapse search
☰

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley responds to plan to decriminalize low-level marijuana cases

Published  January 22, 2020 6:38pm CST
Austin
FOX 7 Austin

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley responds to plan to decriminalize low-level marijuana cases

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley is now responding to a plan to decriminalize low-level marijuana cases.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Police Chief Brian Manley is now responding to a plan to decriminalize low-level marijuana cases.

Some members of Austin City Council are pushing for this move.

Councilmember Greg Casar is sponsoring a resolution that would call for the elimination of arrests and citations for small amounts of marijuana. It would also stop the city from spending money on new testing methods to distinguish pot from the now legal hemp.

RELATED: FOX 7 Discussion: Councilmember Greg Casar on effort to decriminalize small marijuana possession

On Twitter, Manley responded to a tweet from FOX 7 Austin's Jennifer Kendall, saying "The City Council does not have the authority to direct APD not to enforce a state law."

A vote on the plan could come as early as Thursday.

So far, the proposal has the support of members Delia Garza, Jimmy Flannigan, and Natasha Harper-Madison.