Lafayette, CO is about to pass a law providing for a tenfold increase in pot fines and allowing for the possibility of jail terms up to one year.

Marijuana users in Lafayette could face stiffer penalties if caught with their drugs, according to an ordinance that won preliminary approval this week. The Lafayette City Council during a Tuesday, Feb. 6, meeting voted 5-1 to greatly increase the maximum municipal penalties for possession of less than 1 ounce of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. The current maximum penalty for these offenses is a $100 fine. With final approval, the new maximum penalty will be a $1,000 fine and/or imprisonment not exceeding one year.

Ostensibly, this is to have an additional option for repeat offenders. As to how many repeat offenders there are in Lafayette, I received an e-mail (which I have not confirmed) advising Lafayette only had 125 ordinance violations last year and the police department was not able to show any multiple offenders. What is this ordinance based on? If you live in Lafayette and object to the new ordinance, let your city council member know and spread the word.