NUECES COUNTY, Texas — Nueces County District Attorney, Mark Gonzalez, who has already reduced the priority of prosecuting cases involving small amounts of pot now says his office will no longer prosecute when the amount of THC is below a certain level.
This is all because of a new state law that legalized hemp, which comes from the same plant as marijuana.
Because of that prosecuting marijuana possession cases is more difficult, tedious and expensive.
To test the percentage of THC levels district attorney offices need to have high tech testing equipment which DPS and local crime labs lack.
The county's new policy will not press charges for misdemeanor possession of four ounces or less of marijuana.
First Assistant to Nueces County DA, Matt Manning said quote, "The Nueces County DA's Office will continue our tireless commitment to enforcing the law, holding anyone accountable that is terrorizing and victimizing citizens in our community. We're committed to being smart in our policies, fair, and tough on violence."
Manning also said that police could still arrest or cite for that amount of marijuana possession and that the DA's office will evaluate felony charges on a case-by-case basis.