Dallas Police Might Soon Start Writing Tickets for Marijuana Possession Rather than Make Arrests

Dallas officials are planning to discuss whether police should arrest someone with a small amount of marijuana or just write them a ticket.

The Dallas Morning News reports that city council members will discuss a law enforcement approach called ``cite and release'' at Wednesday's public safety committee meeting. ``Cite and release'' replaces arrests with citations for certain misdemeanor offenses such as possession of a small amount of marijuana.

The City council will consider a pilot program that would try out the law enforcement approach in Dallas. It is intended to save time and money by keeping people out of jail and allowing police to stay on the streets.

The committee briefing says Dallas police arrest between 100 and 120 people every month for possessing a small amount of marijuana.