WASHINGTON (AP) — Police in the District of Columbia issued five citations for marijuana possession in the first week of a new law that decriminalized possessing small amounts of marijuana.
Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Araz Alali said Thursday that five citations had been issued, though those numbers could change. He said four of the citations were issued in the city’s seventh district, the southeast part of the city. One was issued in the city’s fifth district. No other district reported issuing a citation.
The law that went into effect last Thursday replaced criminal penalties for possession of one ounce of pot with a $25 civil fine. It’s not clear how long the law will last, however. The House has approved a spending bill that includes language barring the District from implementing the law.
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