Bexar Co DA will resume prosecuting low level marijuana

Last edited Sat Sep 2, 2023, 12:00 PM - Edit history (2)

Due to Death Star Bill
Joe is progressive, but the state will get rid of DAs who don't prosecute for pot. Low level theft etc.



The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office is backing off its policy against prosecuting low-level drug offenses, just in time to stay on the right side of a new state law that makes it easier to remove local DAs over such policies.

Four years ago, District Attorney Joe Gonzales adopted a "declination policy" for minor drug possession cases. He said the aim was to focus on fighting violent crime and to avoid clogging the court system and the county jail with nonviolent offenders.

Under that policy, the DA's office declined to prosecute marijuana possession cases involving less than 1 ounce, unless the defendant was a danger to the community. The policy similarly required prosecutors to dismiss cases involving possession of other controlled substances if the weight was under 0.25 grams and the suspect did not pose a danger to the public.

The policy led to a steep drop in prosecutions for such offenses. Although some prosecutors and law enforcement officers criticized the policy, Gonzales defended it as a way to make the most effective use of limited resources. https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/gonzales-reconsiders-leniency-pot-arrests-18339106.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwcmVzc25ld3MuY29tL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS9nb256YWxlcy1yZWNvbnNpZGVycy1sZW5pZW5jeS1wb3QtYXJyZXN0cy0xODMzOTEwNi5waHA=&time=MTY5MzY3MDE4MzA5Nw==&rid=YWYxMmViMWYtOTEyMi00YjhmLWI1MDgtNWZkMDcwYmE2MDcz&sharecount=MQ==