![Members of Cleveland City Council's Health and Human Services Committee during a meeting Jan. 28, 2019. (l-r: Matthew Zone, Kerry McCormack, Blaine Griffin, Jasmin Santana, Basheer Jones) [Matt Richmond / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4e1f759/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1682+0+0/resize/840x470!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F1%2F28%2Fhealth_web.jpg)
Cleveland City Council plans to take up the decriminalization of marijuana during this year’s session.
Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Blaine Griffin said during Monday’s committee meeting that he’d be looking at recent laws in Toledo and Dayton as models.
“I’m going to have several experts from that industry, as well as some internal partners from the city of Cleveland, that we are going to bring together to have the discussion around decriminalization of marijuana,” said Griffin.
Several municipalities in Ohio have passed decriminalization laws, either putting a yes/no question or the final ordinance in front of voters.
Under the city’s criminal code, possession of less than 100 grams is a minor misdemeanor, with a fine but no jail time. Between 100 and 200 grams is a first degree misdemeanor.
Even if legislation is passed, the state still has criminal penalties for marijuana possession.
