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DeKalb Lowers Fine for Pot Possession

City of DeKalb

The DeKalb City Council has trimmed the fine for marijuana possession. If a person is caught with less than one-tenth of an ounce of the drug, they can choose to mail-in a $350 fine instead of going to court.

Alderman Tom Teresinski says that process can be costly:
 

He adds that officers have the option to impose stricter penalties for repeat offenders. A guilty verdict in court would cost $750. Last summer, Chicago aldermen voted to impose lower fines for pot possession instead of arresting offenders.

Jenna Dooley has spent her professional career in public radio. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois - Springfield. She returned to Northern Public Radio in DeKalb after several years hosting Morning Edition at WUIS-FM in Springfield. She is a former "Newsfinder of the Year" from the Illinois Associated Press and recipient of NIU's Donald R. Grubb Journalism Alumni Award. She is an active member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and an adjunct instructor at NIU.