Mendocino County D.A. accepts fee to waive pot cultivation felonies

Fines levied by the Mendocino D.A. keeps marijuana growers out of jail. Also, it saves court time and decreases paperwork. This is called win-win efficiency.

Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster has been busy since taking office in January, dealing with campaign promises and implementing new practices that are raising funds and eyebrows.

One of his most novel and controversial moves has been to allow people charged with felony marijuana cultivation to plead guilty to misdemeanor possession if they agree to pay a $50-per-plant eradication fee to law enforcement agencies. The defendants also are placed on probation for two years and sentenced to 100 to 200 hours of community service, depending on the number of plants they were growing.

The program is being hailed as progress by some and reviled as an extortion by others.

[Thanks Luke!]