The enactment of medicinal cannabis laws is not associated with any rise in statewide criminal activity and may even be related to reductions in incidences of violent crime, according to data published online in the journal PLoS ONE. “The central finding gleaned from the present study was that MML (medical marijuana legalization) is not predictive of higher crime rates and may be related to reductions in rates of homicide and assault,” authors reported.
Maryland lawmakers have given final approval to legislation to eliminate criminal penalties for minor marijuana possession offenses. The forthcoming law reduces existing penalties for marijuana possession offenses involving ten grams or less from a criminal misdemeanor (presently punishable by arrest, up to 90 days in jail, a $500 fine, and a criminal record) to a non-arrestable, non-criminal fine-only offense ($100 fine for first-time offenders, $250 for second-time offenders).
Recently, Gov. LePage introduced a bill, LD 1811, to crack down on heroin and cocaine…
Today, the Maryland House of Delegates voted 78 to 55 in favor of Senate Bill…
A survey released this week by the publication Law Officer revealed that a majority of…
An estimated 70 percent of physicians acknowledge the therapeutic qualities of cannabis and over half believe that the plant should also be legal for non-medical purposes, according to survey data released this week by WebMD/Medscape.
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe that the sale and use of cannabis will eventually be legal for adults, according to national polling data released this week by the Pew Research Center. Pew pollsters have been surveying public opinion on the issue legalization since 1973, when only 12 percent of Americans supported regulating the substance.
This afternoon, “The Simple Possession of Small Quantities of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013”…