Stonecrest, GA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Adopted by Ordinance No. 2018-10-03 and amended by Ordinance No. 2022-07-01, City Code § 16-54 bans possessing or having under one's control one ounce or less of marijuana anywhere within the City of Stonecrest, a ban that reaches public possession and consumption just as it reaches private conduct since the section draws no distinction between the two settings. Subsection (b) defines "marijuana" to track the state definition: all parts of the cannabis plant, whether growing or not, its seeds, the resin extracted from it, and every compound or preparation made from the plant or its resin, but excluding the mature stalks, fiber, oil or cake, and sterilized seeds incapable of germination.

Subsection (c) exempts marijuana used under a valid medical prescription, so long as the prescription names the patient, the substance, the quantity to be taken and the period of authorization. Where § 16-54 departs sharply from a typical municipal drug offense is its penalty structure: subsection (d) limits punishment to a fine, and subsection (e) affirmatively bars imprisonment for any period of time for a § 16-54 conviction, so no one can be jailed under this section alone. Subsection (f) gives anyone charged the right, on request, to have the case transferred to the State Court of DeKalb County to be prosecuted and tried there as a misdemeanor rather than in Stonecrest Municipal Court.