Des Moines City Council to Look at Decriminalizing Marijuana

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Des Moines City Council will consider a proposal to decriminalize marijuana Monday at its regular meeting at 4:30 pm.

The council will also discuss forming a task force to minimize enforcement for possession of marijuana for personal use.

A resolution says marijuana should be the lowest enforcement priority for Des Moines police, and calls for a six person task force to be assembled.

The members of the task force would selected by the City Attorney, the city's Civil and Human Rights Commission, an attorney selected by the NAACP, ACLU and CCI (Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement), attorney Gary Dickey Jr., community member Billy Weather and a person with experience in substance abuse treatment.

The proposal to decriminalize marijuana is part of a racial profiling ordinance also being considered by the city council. The council first considered a racial profiling ordinance two years ago.

Protests after the recent killing of black people by numerous police departments raised the profile of the issue in Des Moines. Decriminalizing marijuana is one of the demands Des Moines Black Lives Matter has presented to Mayor Frank Cownie and the city council.


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