DALLAS -
A Dallas community leader is calling on police to stop arresting people accused of possessing small amounts of marijuana.
Joy Strickland of Mothers Against Teen Violence said police should follow the lead of the Texas Legislature, which passed a law in 2007 recommending law enforcement just ticket a suspected user instead of throwing them in jail.
"We need to arrest people if they're a threat to public safety. Why deprive someone of their liberty if their behavior is not a threat to public safety? And the legislature must agree with me because they've given us this option," she said.
In the state of Texas, possession of two ounces or less of marijuana constitutes a Class B misdemeanor punishably by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Strickland said the public could be better served if police spent their time arresting dangerous criminals.
