Legislation signed into law last year decriminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses takes effect on Monday, April 1. Presently, possessing cannabis in the Ocean State is classified as a criminal misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and a $500 maximum fine. Starting Monday, the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by an individual 18 years or older is a non-arrestable civil offense, punishable by a maximum fine of $150 but no jail time, and no criminal record.
Written Testimony In Favor of Senate Bill 297 To Be Heard By The Members of…
This week, Representative Diane Russell (D-Portland) formally introduced LD 1229: An Act to Tax and…
House and Senate lawmakers yesterday passed an amended version of Senate Bill 50, “An Act…
“Former public servants, from DEA chiefs to cops, are using their clout to lobby for drug policies that enrich themselves.” That’s the sub-headline on today’s exceptional feature story on TheFix.com highlighting the revolving door of moneyed interests in perpetuating the war on cannabis.
Last weekend, National and Philly NORML convened the first ever Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference in Philadelphia,…
Legislative chambers in four states — Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, and New Jersey — have passed measures to reclassify minor marijuana offenses as non-criminal violations, punishable by a fine only — no arrest, no jail, and no criminal record.
New York City police spent an estimated one million hours in staff time making low level marijuana possession arrests between the years 2002 and 2012, according to the findings of a study released today. Authors of the study report that City law enforcement personnel engaged in approximately one million hours of police officer time to make 440,000 marijuana possession arrests over the past 11 years. Authors further estimated that those arrested for marijuana possession in New York City have spent five million hours in police custody over the last decade.