Bill: Simple possession of pot won't cost driver's their license

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.

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Aaron Gould Sheinin

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