CLEVELAND, Ohio -- City Council on Monday voted to effectively eliminate prosecution of low-level marijuana possession in Cleveland.

The council voted 15-2 to eliminate any fines or jail time for possession of marijuana of up to 200 grams (about 7 ounces). People convicted of minor misdemeanor and misdemeanor possession also would not carry a criminal record and would not be required to report the conviction on applications for employment and licenses.

Councilmen Anthony Brancatelli and Mike Polensek were opposed.

The ordinance does not make changes to penalties for higher level marijuana crimes.

Mayor Frank Jackson is expected to sign the legislation into law later this week.

Councilman Blaine Griffin, the legislation’s chief sponsor, has said the lesser penalties are needed because African-Americans disproportionately face low-level possession charges.

“Across the United States people are re-examining how we deal with marijuana,” Griffin said. “Let this be a bold first step in how we look at 21st century policing.”

The Jackson administration, including Police Chief Calvin Williams and chief City Prosecutor Karrie Howard, previously expressed support for the ordinance.

The changes would mirror what several other cities in Ohio – Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo among them – have already done.

Possession of marijuana remains illegal under state law. Federal law still considers marijuana to be on the same level as more serious drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Cleveland doesn’t have the ability to trump those state and federal laws and simply legalize marijuana possession. But it does have the ability to adjust local penalties for minor misdemeanor and misdemeanor crimes.

Under current law, minor misdemeanor possession – up to 100 grams of marijuana, carries a fine of up to $150. Possession of up to 200 grams, defined by the state as a 4th degree misdemeanor, can carry a fine of up to $250 and up to 30 days of imprisonment.

Griffin has cited data from the American Civil Liberties Union that shows African American people were found to be seven times more likely than white people to face the low-level possession charges.

But two council members questioned whether the move would send the wrong message to the public.

Councilman Brian Kazy made a distinction between decriminalizing and eliminating penalties, since the crime would remain on the books.

“Are we sending the wrong message that it’s OK to do something illegal because while it’s still illegal now, there will be no penalties for it?” Kazy asked. “I think that we should be very careful in what we’re saying.”

Polensek brought in visual aids to raise concern about what constitutes 200 grams of marijuana – about 7 ounces.

Polensek pulled out a jar that was a little larger than a can of soda. In the jar was a green vegetable material – which he said weighed one ounce. Seven of the jars would be about 200 grams.

The jar was filled with parsley. Polensek said a police officer had told him parsley’s weight by volume is comparable to marijuana.

“That’s a lot of pot,” he said. “Are we creating more problems for ourselves?”