Thursday, June 09, 2011

Connecticut House passes bill to reduce marijuana penalties

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Marijuana leaf

Last Sunday, the Connecticut Senate introduced and approved a bill to “decriminalize” the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Now, the State House has followed with a final vote passing the bill:

Today the Connecticut House of Representatives passed SB 1014, a bill to make possession of less than 14 grams of marijuana a non-criminal violation for adults. There was heavy debate about the concept, but the measure prevailed in a 90-57 vote. The legislation was passed by the Senate over the weekend.

As I said before, I wouldn’t really call it “decriminalized” if those caught in the act will still be punished in some manner or other (and, yes, I’m aware of the current, ambiguous and trivial distinction between “decriminalization” and “legalization”), but it is a good start towards a more reasonable legal approach towards those who use chemical substances on their own time and dime – that is, the abolition of any legal restrictions, period.

(via The Agitator)