Jefferson County, KY — One Kentucky county will no longer prosecute small marijuana possession cases. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell says his office will dismiss citations for possession of marijuana for one ounce or less when it is the most serious or only charge against the person. O’Connell says he must act, referring to the relaxing of marijuana laws in other U.S. cities. He says this change in policy will allow his office to focus more on gun, domestic violence and drunken driving cases. O’Connell also pointed to racial disparities in the enforcement of pot laws in Kentucky’s largest city, citing a 2013 study that found that African Americans are four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession.

                                                                      Mike O’Connell