INDIANAPOLIS — More than 225 simple marijuana cases have been dismissed in Marion County since the prosecutor announced a new policy to focus on violent crime.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the new policy two weeks ago, saying misdemeanor possession charges of less than one ounce will no longer be prosecuted. Under Indiana law, those cases would be considered a Class B misdemeanor.
In the first week after the policy was announced, the prosecutor's office dismissed nearly 150 cases. As of Friday, 228 pending cases had been dismissed.
"To reflect this change, our office has allocated resources and staff from drug prosecution to address expungements and driver’s license suspension issues," the prosecutor's office posted on Facebook.
READ | Marion County will no longer prosecute simple marijuana possession cases
Mears said in the past couple of years, many of these types of possession cases haven’t even moved forward in court. He says 74% of simple marijuana possession cases in 2018 were dropped. That percentage increased to 81% in 2019.
