New Push to Decriminalize Pot

New Push to Decriminalize Pot

Could Rhode Island become the 14th state to decriminalize non-medical marijuana?

Two state lawmakers plan to introduce a bill this session to do just that. State Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, and Rep. John Edwards, D-Portsmouth, Tiverton, plan on introducing legislation in the General Assembly that would eliminate the current criminal penalties for possession of an ounce of marijuana. Instead, there would be a simple civil fine.

Rhode Island is one of 15 states that already allows the use of medical marijuana, thanks to a 2006 law. There are now more than 2,000 patients who use marijuana for medical reasons and approximately 1,600 people who are allowed to grow medical marijuana. Recently, the state received 18 applications to open up so-called compassion centers which would dispense medical marijuana.

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Efforts to decriminalize marijuana for any purpose gained steam last year after a Senate panel endorsed the move.

Now, it is also gaining some early support from the Right side of the political spectrum. In a news release, the Libertarian Party of Rhode Island announced it would be backing the legislation. “This would end the current practice of wasting OUR R.I. tax dollars on arrest and prosecution for a modest amount of marijuana,” said Tony Jones, LPRI Treasurer.

The party said that it believed the legislation would have a double economic benefit—saving the state millions of dollars in law enforcement and generating new revenue in the collection of fines.

Who's Already Decriminalized Pot?

Alaska
California
Colorado
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nebraska
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon

Source: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws