Athens Mayor High On Marijuana Decriminalization

Tim Denson isn't the only candidate for mayor who wants small amounts of marijuana decriminalized. At a debate Wednesday night at the University of Georgia campus, Mayor Nancy Denson said she, too, would like to see the pot laws relaxed.

Mayor Denson announced her position for the first time Wednesday night at a debate on the University of Georgia campus, according to The Athens Herald-Banner.

She told dozens of students and Athens residents: "I'd like to see small amounts of marijuana decriminalized," the paper reported. The mayor also said that being caught with a small amount of pot for personal use shouldn't "create a criminal record that follows someone for the rest of their life."

The mayor's opponent, local activist Tim Denson, who is no relation, has been running on a platform that includes legalizing possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. They will face off in the nonpartisan election May 20.

On Thursday, she released a statement saying she would do nothing to change pot laws at the county level. Her statement:

Though supporting legislation at the state or national level to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, I do not plan to take any action at the county level.

While I do not support legalizing marijuana, I find it unconscionable that we ruin the lives of young people by creating criminal records for possession of small amounts of marijuana that follow them for the rest of their lives. 

I absolutely encourage legalizing the use of medical marijuana to provide help for those suffering and hope that the state House and Senate can find a compromise on this issue before the end of the legislative session.