Under current law, getting busted for possessing 42.5 grams of weed, or about 1.5 ounces, carries a fine of up to $200, 90 days in jail, and a criminal record.

Frey and Johnson would have that scaled back to no more than a $50 fine. The risk of arrest and jail time would be eliminated. Having pot would become more akin to a traffic ticket.

The measure would mirror state law, which already deems minor possession a petty misdemeanor, but maintains a maximum penalty of $200.

"No one should face jail time for possessing a small personal amount of marijuana in Minneapolis," says Johnson. "We need to remove that risk because it's ridiculous. That's the piece that's egregious to me."

Adds Frey: "Negative permanent marks on a record should be reserved for offenses that are injurious to society," he says. "Smoking a joint is more injurious to a bag of Funyuns than society at large. That's just the reality."

Though it will take months before it's officially a done deal, "I fully expect this change to pass," Johnson says.