AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police officers will no longer arrest or give tickets to people found in possession of marijuana.
The decision comes as multiple police departments across the country are re-thinking their tactics, following civil unrest and protests on police violence and racial inequality.
"APD will no longer cite or arrest individuals with sufficient identification for Class A or Class B misdemeanor 'possession of marijuana' offenses, unless there is an immediate threat to a person’s safety or doing so as part of the investigation of a high priority, felony-level narcotics case or the investigation of a violent felony," the Austin Police Department said in a statement.
Austin City Council Member Gregorio Casar celebrated the decision in a Facebook post:
