Outside the Beltway

Vermont Decriminalizes Marijuana

Doug Mataconis
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Vermont has become the latest state to decriminalize marijuana:

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has become the 17th state to get rid of criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a measure into law Thursday.

The law replaces criminal penalties with civil fines similar to a traffic ticket for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish.

The law also treats possession of such amounts of marijuana by people under age 21 the same as underage possession of alcohol, including referral to court diversion for a first offense, potential civil penalties and/or license suspension, and criminal penalties for a third violation.

Hopefully, this is the continuation of a trend that will continue to spread across the nation.

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10 responses to “Vermont Decriminalizes Marijuana”

  1. edmondo Avatar
    edmondo

    Does i matter if Vermont decriminalizes it if the NSA can hear you stting up the buy?

  2. Caj Avatar
    Caj

    All states should follow suit. Wasting time and money on small possession of any drug is ridiculous. Cops need to spend their time on more meaningful arrests. The cops and the public should be more concerned over all these never ending gun deaths! Now, that is something that needs addressing but of course we have the gun obsessed like Wayne LaPierre and others who don’t want that dealt with. You just keep arresting those small time felons and don’t worry about our ‘friend’s’ out there with assault weapons shooting up anywhere and everywhere!!!

  3. Rafer Janders Avatar
    Rafer Janders

    Meanwhile “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire continues to punish people for what they do with their own bodies….

  4. walt moffett Avatar
    walt moffett

    Might want to read the bill as passed (pdf), always worrisome when the police and courts realize their budget gets a cut of the action.

  5. James Pearce (Formerly Known as Herb) Avatar
    James Pearce (Formerly Known as Herb)

    Safety meeting on Stowe Mountain at 4:20. BYOB.

  6. gVOR08 Avatar
    gVOR08

    @Caj: Shutting down the War on Drugs would be the single best thing we could do to reduce gun violence. Not to mention the trillion dollars we’ve whizzed away on it.
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-legalizing-marijuana/2013/06/07/9727eac4-c871-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html?hpid=z2

  7. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    @Rafer Janders:

    Maybe NH can change its motto to “Live Free or High.”

  8. Franklin Avatar
    Franklin

    We had a referendum in Michigan a few years back to legalize it. Didn’t really change anything, because the State Attorney General didn’t agree with it, and still finds any legal means to harass marijuana dispensaries and the like.

  9. al-Ameda Avatar
    al-Ameda

    @edmondo:

    Does i matter if Vermont decriminalizes it if the NSA can hear you stting up the buy?

    The NSA will dispatch federal authorities to arrest you for making a legal buy? My guess is that the Feds currently consider Vermont to be a rogue state and that they’re considering the use of drones to conduct surveillance of Vermont’s “alternative agriculture” industry.

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