Marijuana citation ordinance passed final reading at Riverton City Council

RIVERTON, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) -

Last night’s city council meeting in Riverton included the final reading of a marijuana citation ordinance, and it passed. The ordinance will open the opportunity for the city to better utilize fine money from violations of marijuana laws.

Riverton Police Chief Eric Murphy stated, “That’s the biggest thing is the city will see that money, coming back to the city instead of going to the county and to the state. It’s just a way to recoup some of that money that we have lost through the state. We arrest about 70 people a year for possession of marijuana, so it’s not going to be huge, but it will be a significant amount.”

The chief says the total amount fined is determined by the judge, but ranges from $150-$200 for the first offense, but could be increased for repeat violations. The new ordinance will also allow the judge to issue a fine up to $750 for marijuana use or possession. The money collected will go into the general fund for the city of Riverton.

“The 70 is an average too, we’ve arrested 100 people sometimes and sometimes we’ve arrested 50, so 70 is about an average over the last five or six years,” added Chief Murphy.

The police department is considering other avenues to recoup funds from some of the recent budget cuts, including researching intoxicated pedestrian fines, and how those could be reinstated to benefit funding deficits.

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