The Springfield City Council voted unanimously Monday to recriminalize drug use on public property, pending Measure 110 reform from the state legislature.
City councilors likened the new law to the existing regulation of alcohol, which applies only to public property. However, if the ordinance is enacted, it would extend beyond this comparison by categorizing public drug use as a Class B Misdemeanor. This designation entails a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $2,500 fine. In contrast, a violation related to alcohol incurs a maximum fine of $720 without any accompanying jail time.
Cities don’t have the authority to make their own drug laws except by imposing limits like they do with alcohol and cannabis. Historically, local police charged people with state and federal drug laws. When voters passed Ballot Measure 110, they decriminalized drug possession statewide.
In December, Springfield city councilors unanimously voted to ask the state legislature to change the law to allow cities to recriminalize drug possession.