The Changing Landscape of Misdemeanor Marijuana Possession Charging in Columbus, Ohio: 2011–2021
Ohio State Legal Studies Research Paper No. 733
Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, September 2022
9 Pages Posted: 29 Sep 2022
Date Written: September 27, 2022
Abstract
In July 2019 Columbus City Council passed ordinances which significantly reduced punishment for possession of marijuana. Shortly after, at the beginning of August 2019, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced that his office would no longer prosecute misdemeanor marijuana possession cases. Using a dataset of all misdemeanor cases from January 2011 through August 2021, we sought to review and assess changes in misdemeanor marijuana possession cases before and after the Columbus City Council reduced punishment for marijuana possession cases and City Attorney Klein’s announcement of the “no prosecution” policy. The data reveal a significant drop in the number of misdemeanor marijuana possession cases filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court, and that the adoption of the new policies had different impacts on the various law enforcement agencies that operate within the Franklin County boundaries. The data also suggests that the simultaneous implementation of a no-prosecute policy and adoption of lower penalties for marijuana possession might have reduced racial disparities in marijuana possession charges in Franklin County overall. This was mostly likely driven by the near complete cessation of marijuana possession charges originating from the Columbus Division of Police.
Keywords: Marijuana possession, marijuana misdemeanor cases, no prosecute policy, reduced punishment for marijuana, prosecution of marijuana misdemeanors, misdemeanor marijuana possession, marijuana charges, Franklin County, Ohio, Columbus, decline in prosecution, decline in charging
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