Getting Caught with Pot in Dallas Won’t Put You Straight to Jail Starting Dec. 1

Starting December 1, 2017 the city of Dallas will be arresting fewer people on site caught with marijuana. That's not to say they won't go through the court process and still have it on their record though.

According to Dallas News, Dallas County Commissioners voted 4-1 to pass a 'cite-and-release' program for individuals caught with under 4 ounces of marijuana on Tuesday, October 17. In doing so, they hope to free up police in order to focus on violent and more dangerous crimes.

It's still not fun and games if you're caught with pot though. Dallas Observer explains that the offender will have to be fingerprinted, have their mugshot taken and show up to at least two court dates. In fact, the penalties are pretty much the same - unlike Harris County, which has a program that could keep a minor possession charge off your criminal record.

So the major change here is that if someone is caught with under 4 ounces of pot in Dallas, they won't go directly to jail. They still have to go to court and they can still serve up to 180 days in jail with a $2,000 fine. Plus it can still go on their criminal record.

Dallas News reports that the average number of people arrested for marijuana possession by Dallas Police is 77 per month.