Pittsburgh City Council preliminarily approves bill to decriminalize pot

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh City Council has preliminarily approved an ordinance that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana or hashish.

The bill passed 6-1 Wednesday, with Councilwoman Darlene Harris voting against it.

If approved, police could fine people $25 to $100 and seize the drugs as long as the person has less than 30 grams of marijuana. People could have about eight grams of hash under the legislation.

The ordinance says police would have the choice to issue a summary citation similar to a traffic ticket or charge the person with a misdemeanor. Harris says she voted no because it “directly contradicts” state law.

The final vote is set for Monday. If adopted, Mayor Bill Peduto says he’ll sign it.