The Record, 20 May 2012 – GETTING arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana will no longer be a crime under a bill now pending in the Legislature. Rather than facing a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, those with less than 15 grams of marijuana – a little more than half an ounce – would be fined $150 for their first offense and up to $500 for repeated violations. This bill is a sensible response to the prevalence of marijuana use in today’s society. An estimated 100 million Americans have smoked marijuana, and about 25 million have done so in the last year, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. If the bill passes, New Jersey would be following 14 other states, including New York and Connecticut, which have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of the drug. The bill has bipartisan support, which suggests it has a good chance of passing.
posted on May 20, 2012 by
