Lafayette Municipal Court Associate Judge Lenny Frieling resigned from the bench after eight years following the city council's interim approval of an ordinance to make minor cannabis possession offenses punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. Under Colorado law, minor pot violations are punishable by a $100 fine and no jail time.

"Since you have seen fit to increase the penalty for cannabis possession, ... I find that I am morally and ethically unable to sit as a judge for the city," Frieling wrote in his resignation letter. Frieling is a lifetime member of NORML and serves on the organization's legal committee.

The Lafayette City Council is scheduled to hold a final hearing on the proposed ordinance next week.

SaferChoice.org: http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/61/1/

NORML: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7178

NORML Legal Committee: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3402