On Oct. 10, 2017, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed signed into law Ordinance 17-O-1152, an ordinance that reduces the penalties for simple marijuana possession. Under the new ordinance, marijuana possession of up to one ounce will be reduced from a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail to a $75 fine and no jail time.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there was initially confusion over whether Reed actually signed the ordinance into law because of a confusing tweet that was sent out early in the morning on Oct. 11.
“Good morning #Atlanta. We received an email overnight that the Mayor VETOED our marijuana legislation for less than one ounce. More to come,” read a tweet by the Atlanta City Council.
Within less than an hour the post was removed and a correction was posted, but by then confusion had already set it. Taking to Twitter, Reed issued a clarification, blaming both journalists and City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, who hopes to replace Reed as mayor.
“Look at the source folks. It’s just another political stunt by the Ceaser Mitchell & the AJC,” Reed wrote in a tweet.
To quash any lingering confusion, Reed later posted a picture of himself signing the ordinance into law.
“We should all thank the Mayor for his willingness to sign this ordinance into law. But most of all, I want to thank the people who spoke out and told their stories of families destroyed and lives ruined – it was the people who pushed this reform through,” said councilman Kwanza Hall in a press release.