People arrested for marijuana possession at the police check lanes set up for the Wakarusa Festival this week will have their cases handled in district, rather than municipal court.

That was the word Thursday from Douglas County’s administrative judge during an online chat on the Journal-World’s Web site.

“Those cases will be heard in Douglas County District Court, not Lawrence Municipal Court since the offenses would be committed in the county outside the city limits of Lawrence,” Chief Judge Robert Fairchild said in response to a questioner.

The check lane was set on Wednesday to stop drivers as they were exiting Interstate 70 onto Kansas Highway 10 en route to the festival at Clinton Lake.

Police said it was an aggressive anti-drug effort to ensure safety.

“We are going to have a special first-appearance docket in which we initially hear only cases that are a result of arrests at the festival,” Fairchild wrote.

To read the entire transcript of Fairchild’s chat and make comments, go to http://www2.ljworld.com/news/chats/newsmakers/.