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Two More Michigan Cities to Vote on Marijuana Decriminalization

August 1st

By | The Daily Chronic

FERNDALE, MI — The Michigan communities of Ferndale and Jackson will vote on local marijuana decriminalization initiatives, backers said this week as they handed in petitions full of registered voter signatures. Backers said they were certain they had enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. “There is no doubt we have enough signatures,” said [...]

Two More Michigan Cities to Vote on Marijuana Decriminalization was written by and appears in full on The Daily Chronic. Want to stay up to date on cannabis news worldwide? Visit The Daily Chronic - The Voice of the Reform Generation

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Report: Over 21,000 Arrested in California on Marijuana Charges in 2012

July 27th

By | The Daily Chronic - The Voice of the Reform Generation

The California Attorney General has released its 2012 Crime Report.

According to the report, there were 13,434 felony marijuana arrests in California in 2012, continuing a downward trend from 14,082 in 2011.

Hispanics were the most-arrested ethnic group, with 4953 felony arrests, followed by whites (4617), blacks (2745) and other races (1119). Juvenile felony arrests remained stable, coming in at 1671, or 12.4% of all felony arrests for marijuana.

Misdemeanor marijuana arrests took a nosedive in 2011 because under an ounce became an infraction that year; infractions are not tallied in the AG’s report.

Marijuana misdemeanor arrests came in at 7768 in 2012, almost identical to the number in 2011 (7764).

The number of marijuana misdemeanor arrests in 2010 was 54, 849.

Report: Over 21,000 Arrested in California on Marijuana Charges in 2012 was written by and appears in full on READ MORE

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Washington, DC Council Will Consider Marijuana Decriminalization

July 10th

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council of the District of Columbia will consider legislation that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in the District. Councilmember Tommy Wells, chair of the council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, announced the proposal at a press conference Wednesday morning.

The measure would remove criminal penalties for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana for individuals 18 years of age and older and replace them with a civil fine of $100, similar to a traffic ticket. Individuals under the age of 18 would face a civil fine of $100 and would be required to attend a drug and alcohol awareness program.

Tommy Wells

Tommy Wells

“The District’s current policy of arresting and prosecuting thousands of adults for marijuana possession each year is doing far more harm than good,” said Morgan Fox, communications manager for the D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. “Nobody should face life-altering criminal penalties simply for possessing a substance that is objectively less harmful than alcohol, and law enforcement officials’ time and attention would . . . . . READ MORE

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Councilman to Introduce Proposal to Decriminalize Marijuana in Washington, DC

July 10th

WASHINGTON, DC — Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) will introduce legislation today before the Council of the District of Columbia that would eliminate criminal penalties under District law for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana.

The legislation would subject a person in possession of one ounce or less of marijuana to a $100 civil fine. Juveniles additionally would have to complete a drug awareness program under the proposal. Failure by a juvenile to complete a drug awareness program within a year would result in the provision of a $200 fine and court-ordered community service.

Tommy Wells

Tommy Wells

Introduction of this legislation follows the release last month of a groundbreaking report by the American Civil Liberties Union that documented enormous racial disparities in arrests for marijuana possession in D.C.

The report also found that District of Columbia residents are arrested for marijuana possession at greater rates than residents of any U.S. state, and that D.. . . . . READ MORE

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Marijuana Possession Now Decriminalized in Vermont

July 1st

MONTPELIER, VT – Vermonters possessing small amounts of marijuana are no longer be subject to arrest due to a bill adopted earlier this year taking effect early Monday morning, making Vermont the 17th state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

House Bill 200, sponsored by Rep. Christopher Pearson (P-Burlington) with a tripartisan group of 38 cosponsors, passed the House in April before sailing though the Senate less than a month later.  Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) signed the bill into law in early June.

It ends criminal penalties for the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish and replaces them with fines of $200 for a first offense, $300 for a second offense, and $500 for subsequent offenses.

Possession of more than an ounce remains a criminal offense, as does the cultivation of any number of plants.

“This is a much-needed step forward toward a more sensible marijuana policy,” said Mat. . . . . READ MORE

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Vermont Marijuana Decriminalization Law Takes Effect Monday

June 29th

MONTPELIER, VT – Vermonters will possessing small amounts of marijuana will no longer be subject to arrest starting Monday, when a bill adopted this year to remove criminal penalties for marijuana possession will go into effect.  Vermont will become the 17th state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

House Bill 200, sponsored by Rep. Christopher Pearson (P-Burlington) with a tripartisan group of 38 cosponsors, passed the House in April before sailing though the Senate less than a month later.  Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) signed the bill into law in early June.

It ends criminal penalties for the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish and replaces them with fines of $200 for a first offense, $300 for a second offense, and $500 for subsequent offenses.

Possession of more than an ounce remains a criminal offense, as does cultivation of any number of plants.

“This is a much-needed step forward tow. . . . . READ MORE

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New Jersey Voters Ready to Decriminalize Marijuana, Poll Finds

June 12th

TRENTON, NJ – As New Jersey legislators consider a marijuana decriminalization bill, a new poll suggests strong public support for such a move — and more. The poll of likely voters conducted by Lake Research Partners for the Drug Policy Alliance found that 61% favored decriminalization and nearly as many (59%) agreed with taxing, regulating, and legalizing marijuana.

“New Jersey voters are ready for aggressive and immediate change of state marijuana laws, with strong majorities supporting decriminalizing up to two ounces of marijuana,” said Daniel Gotoff, a partner at Lake Research. “Support for this reform is remarkably broad, including majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans, as well as voters from every major region in the state.”

The poll comes as the legislature is considering Senate Bill 1977, which would decriminalize the possess. . . . . READ MORE

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Poll: Over 60 Percent of New Jersey Voters Favor Decriminalizing Marijuana

June 11th

TRENTON, NJ — An overwhelming majority of New Jerseyans support reducing the penalty for simple marijuana possession from a criminal offense to a small fine similar to a traffic ticket, according to a new poll of likely voters by Lake Research Partners.  The poll was commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance.

The poll found that 61 percent of those asked support a proposal to make possession of two ounces or less of marijuana a civil violation.  Currently, possession of this amount is a criminal offense that carries a penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.  A conviction also results in a criminal record that cannot be expunged for at least five years.

The poll also found that support for decriminalization is broad-based, traversing North, Central and South Jersey, and that it bridges gender, race and partisan divides.  An overwhelming 82 percent of those polled said that they would either be more likely to vote for an elected official who supported reducing penalties for marijuana possession or that it would make no difference in their vote.

Not only is New Jersey poised to catch up to a growing contingent of other states that have already decriminalized or otherwise reduced penalties for marijuana possession, it. . . . . READ MORE

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Vermont Gov. Signs Bill Marijuana Decriminalization Bill into Law

June 9th

MONTPELIER, VT – Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) signed into law Thursday a bill decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. That makes Vermont the 17th state to decriminalize, including all of its neighboring New England states except New Hampshire.

Introduced by Rep. Christopher Pearson (P-Burlington) and passed with tripartisan support, House Bill 200 removes criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and replaces them with a civil fine, similar to a traffic ticket. People under 21 will be required to undergo substance abuse screening.

Under current state law, possession of up to two ounces of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail for a first offense and up to two years in jail for a subsequent offense.

“This change just makes common sense,” Shumlin said as he signed the bill. “Our limited resources should be focused on reducing abuse and addiction of opiates like heroin and meth rather than cracking down on people for having very small amounts of marijuana.”

Earlier this week, Shumlin signed a package of bills aimed at reducing problems associated with opiate use, including measures designed to reduce opiate overdose deaths.

“We applaud Gov. Shumlin, the state’s top law enforcement officials, and the legislature for their leadership and support of this importan. . . . . READ MORE

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Momentum Builds for Marijuana Law Reform in the District of Columbia

June 8th

WASHINGTON, DC — District of Columbia residents are arrested for marijuana possession at greater rates than residents of any U.S. state and D.C. taxpayers pay more per capita on marijuana arrests in the country, according to a groundbreaking report issued yesterday by the American Civil Liberties Union that examines nationwide state and county marijuana arrest data by race.

The War on Marijuana in Black and White: Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests” also found that African Americans comprise just over half the D.C. population, but accounted for more than nine out of every ten marijuana possession arrests in 2010. All told, African Americans were eight times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession that white residents, and more than 90 percent of all marijuana arrests in 2010 were of African Americans. Since 2001, the report found that the racial disparity in D.C. marijuana arrests widened by more than 75 percent as the overall marijuana arrest rate in D.C. grew more than 60 percent.

“The only way to reduce the appalling racial disparities in marijuana law enforcement and stop the hemorrhaging of law enforcement time and taxpayer dollars is to eliminate penalties for marijuana possession,” said Bill Piper, director of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs. “Marijuana use in the D.C. should no longer be a crime and the p. . . . . READ MORE

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