Panel: decriminalize tiny amounts of marijuana

PROVIDENCE – A state Senate commission has ruled that possession of a small amount of marijuana should not be a criminal offense in Rhode Island.
The Special Senate Commission to Study the Prohibition of Marijuana’s final report, recently accepted by an 11-to-2 vote, recommended that the state decriminalize the possession of one ounce or less by those 18 and over as a means to avoid costly prosecutions and incarcerations for minor drug offenses. For the recommendation to become law, it would have to be approved by the General Assembly.
The commission recommended adoption of laws similar to those recently enacted in Massachusetts, which eliminated criminal charges for possession of an ounce or less in favor of a civil penalty of $100, which goes to the municipality in which the penalty is issued.
A total of 13 states have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in some way or another.
Currently, possession of marijuana in Rhode Island carries penalties of up to a year in prison and fines up to $500, or both. In a statement, a majority of the commission’s members said they believe decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana would be “the most immediate step toward realizing savings in the state budget and freeing law enforcement to investigate and solve more serious crimes.” &#8226