Marijuana Decriminalization
Marijuana decriminalization law goes into effect
January 2, 2009 08:00
By Globe Staff
It's no longer a crime to have one ounce or less of pot. The state's new marijuana decriminalization law, approved by voters in a November referendum, goes into effect today.
Those who are caught with an ounce or less would get a ticket similar to a building code citation. They could appeal the civil infraction in court within 21 days or pay a $100 fine set in the law. Juvenile violators would have to pay the fine and attend a drug abuse counseling course, or have the fine increased to $1,000.
The state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security released guidelines Monday in response to questions about the law. The state noted that the new statute applied to all substances that contain THC, which includes hashish and hash oil. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient in marijuana that gives users a high.
The state also asked communities to consider passing local ordinances criminalizing the use of marijuana in public, which today is only a civil offense if the smoker possesses an ounce or less.
If they can do it all states can do it!!
Which state?
What state if its Missouri whoa
Pot should just b legal.if a place could legally sell pot they would get a lotta money.and it would probably help with gang issues since they get alot of money from people buying pot.
~Shane
i agree with you shane but at the same time you have to think about it this way plenty of people smoke pot and it's been said that pot can help people when there going through cancer stages so then again it have its ups and downs.
Which is yet another reason y pot should be legal. if it helps people they should b able to smoke it.and not everyone who can benifit from it is allowed to legally smoke it.
~Shane
Wasn't this Massachusetts? I seem to remember that.
I had someone I knew with cancer, and if her chemotherapy had been bad, we probably would not have shied away from using marijuana medicinally, her doctor even recommended it (off books of course). I agree, although I've never done it, someday I might, and I don't think it should be criminalized!
Pot is very unhealthy. They shouldn't legalise it at all.
Compared to tobacco, alcohol, or prescription drugs, how unhealthy is it really?
pot isnt unhealthyy. It is natural,from the ground. The only unhealthy part is the actual smoking(hence smoke is bad for your lungs).
why else would you have marijuana if not to smoke it
same thing in madison wisconsin
legalize it lol
I was raised and have become very close minded about drugs. And i see marijuana as drugs. Though it seems like it will help the economy if we legalize it and sell it, the economy would not be as bad. But my moral beliefs have me believe that drugs are bad, therefor I dont think it should be legalized. Dont hate me for my opinion. I am close minded about this topic.
More people die from alcohol than they do weed.
I don't think the government knows how much they can benefit from selling it either. They can insanely tax it. People will still buy it.
My mother didn't want to use Marijuana while she was dying from advanced breast and lung cancer becasue the state of North Carolina has it listed as illegal. I am a strong supporter of legalizing it as well as thousands of others. Watching her painful death that could have been eased with THC really made me even more against the government. The main reason why it will not be legalized anytime soon is because the government gets too much income from the fees and criminal profits they gain from it. As of the info they have now, they would loose some "profit" if made legal: the taxes from it becoming legal would not surpass the fines and fees from it being illegal. If they subtracted the mexican pot market addition to their numbers they would actually come up with a surplus income from making it legal. Its all politics! After I finish L.I.E.A. (Loyalty to the Immigrationalized/Importified Employer Act) I will do what I can to help with the legalization of Marijuana.
Sincerely, Jeremy Hawks.
GO L.I.E.A.!!!!!!!!! Support the American Common Welfare's only option!