Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 36-32-6(a) and (c), the Recorder’s Court of Chatham County is vested with jurisdiction to dispose of cases where a person is charged with  possession of one ounce or less of marijuana when the offense occurs within the corporate limits of the City of Savannah. Currently there is no ordinance setting punishment for less than one ounce of marijuana. 

District 1 Alderman Van R. Johnson II has proposed an ordinance that would provide that a person convicted of a violation of simple marijuana possession be punished by a fine not to exceed $150.00, and shall not be punished by a term of any imprisonment.

The ordinance's intention is to enhance public safety and eliminate costs by reducing the amount of time police officers spend in connection with the arrest, processing and transportation of those accused of simple marijuana possession; and to prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system and avoiding the enduring stigma associated therewith.

First reading of this proposed ordinance was held the Meeting of February 1, 2018.