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“I thought this was Harris County,” as Texas a game warden approached his boat at the dock in Montgomery County. They put the man in handcuffs and charged him with Misdemeanor Marijuana Possession and took him to jail. Many states that claim to have "legalized" or "decriminalized" haven't done so in all county making it difficult for citizens to know when they are and aren't following the regulations or what fines/jail time they face from county to county.
In this particular instance, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office utilizes the "Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion Program" which states that people who would be charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession are allowed to complete a four-hour class in lieu of arrest. However, in Montgomery county, where the man was attempting to drop his boat that isn't the case.
District Attorney Brett Ligon in Montgomery county however, has an extremely strict stance of prosecuting misdemeanor marijuana cases to the fullest extent and even slammed Harris County DA when they announced the "Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion Program"
This scene is all too common across the country leaving citizens to stand in the cross fire of lawmakers and authority figures arguing over morals. When 2 DA's in 2 neighboring county's are in disagreement on how to handle non-violent "offenders" the people are left to experience a heavier hand from one or the other DA's as they battle through their set of morals instead of referring to our declaration of independence when it comes to the rights of their constituents.
Without a full repeal of prohibition on a federal level, scenes like this will continue to happen and cannabis users will be forced to continue to walk on egg shells not knowing what could happen if the person they walk by happens to smell the weed in their pocket. It's time we speak out against the harassment of peaceful cannabis users and stop the discrimination.