Candidates differ on marijuana decriminalization; both back jail treatment programs
Jason Ripple favored ordinance‑level handling of small marijuana possession and reduced criminal records for youth; Darren Rice said decriminalization should await state or federal legislative changes and emphasized the STAR jail treatment program as a priority.
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When asked whether possession of small amounts of marijuana should be decriminalized, Jason Ripple said criminalizing minor possession can unfairly follow young people and suggested treating ordinance‑level possession similarly to alcohol violations. "To criminalize a portion of it seems inappropriate to me," Ripple said, and proposed that parents or guardians could handle some cases rather than the police.
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