Politics
Politics

Bill: Get busted for a little pot, keep your drivers license

By Aaron Gould Sheinin
Feb 10, 2015

Get busted with a joint or a small bag of pot? You could keep your drivers license under legislation introduced in the state House on Tuesday.

House Bill 283, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Allison, R-Blairsville, changes the state Controlled Substances Act that says drivers licenses of anyone convicted of a wide variety of crimes related to marijuana is suspended. Instead, Allison's bill adds a line that says, "provided however, that this Code section shall not apply to convictions for simple possession of marijuana occurring on or after July 1, 2015."

It’s still a crime, of course, to possess any amount of pot, but HB 283 takes some of the bite out of the penalty.

About the Author

Aaron Gould Sheinin
More Stories

Keep Reading

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS

OPINION

The 2020 election interference case is gone, but it can’t be forgotten

The decision by a Georgia prosecutor not to pursue the massive Trump election interference case leaves some bad deeds unpunished.

‘Fish wrapper’: The AJC’s complicated relationship with Georgia’s political class

How generations of Georgia leaders battled, berated and depended on the AJC.

A viral confrontation and a sudden resignation shake up Georgia GOP

The man behind the vigilante sting operation that apparently netted a teenage GOP official says he has no regrets.

The Latest

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS

OPINION

The 2020 election interference case is gone, but it can’t be forgotten

A viral confrontation and a sudden resignation shake up Georgia GOP

‘Fish wrapper’: The AJC’s complicated relationship with Georgia’s political class

Featured

Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

Credit: AP

A tiny nation qualified for its first World Cup. Cape Verde has fans here

Cape Verde, competing in its first World Cup, will take on the world's No. 1 team in Spain at 12 p.m. on June 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Georgia’s special ed program promised help. Families say it delivered them harm.

Georgia subdues a nemesis in rolling past Crimson Tide for SEC championship

Georgia notched its best win of the season at the perfect time, finally vanquishing Alabama in Atlanta and taking home the SEC Championship for the second straight year.