“The penalty would be a $500 fee and no jail time,” Evans said. “I think it’s a good idea. There are 17 states who have legalized it. It would decrease the jail population and save millions of dollars and allow police officers to focus on more important crimes.”

Evans said he contacted his representative Ray Ward but he declined to run a bill. “It would help with the economy in general. If more states legalize it they’ll get more tax revenue from the sales.”

His intent is not to legalize buying or selling illegal marijuana, just to decriminalize it in small amounts. “It takes a lot of marijuana to become impaired but only a little alcohol to become impaired.”

Evans said this is his highest priority and he plans to talk to neighbors and hand out flyers. “With the COVID budget and this it could save the government money. It’s a great time to potentially get decriminalization.”