News » La Crosse Mayor Vetoes Decriminalization





Back on October 8th, it was reported that the council for the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin had voted to approve the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The mayor of the town has vetoed the measure, citing community confusion over the change.

Mayor Matt Harter said he doesn’t disagree with the measure to decriminalize, but thinks that residents of the town do not fully understand what the measure would do. It would not, for instance, have decriminalized possession, per se, but instead would have given local police and magistrates the flexibility to make charges an infraction (ticket, no criminal court/record) rather than sending the case to criminal court.

Despite this, both nearby Onalaska and La Crosse County both have decriminalization measures on the books.

The council will require a 2/3 majority at its November meeting to overturn the veto. The earlier vote was 9-7 with one abstaining, so a 2/3 majority is questionable.

[source La Crosse Tribune]

Tags: decriminalization, La Crosse, legalize, Wisconsin