Colorado Becomes First State to End Marijuana Prohibition

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Illinois House passes marijuana decriminalization bill
Criminal Justice / Article
May 18, 2016
The Illinois House has voted to impose civil fines rather than criminal penalties for low-level marijuana possession.

In 2012, Chicago City Council voted to move to civil instead of criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Nearly four years later, the rest of the state has followed suit.

On May 18, the Illinois House voted to move Illinois to ticket-based penalties for possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana. If the governor signs Senate Bill 2228, instead of making arrests, police will start issuing tickets ranging from $100 to $200 per offense. Previously, anyone caught with 10 grams or less of marijuana could have been charged with a misdemeanor, resulting in a fine of up to $1,500 and possible jail time of up to six months. Under SB 2228, anyone charged with the civil marijuana possession penalty would also automatically have his or her record expunged six months after the bill’s effective date.

Moving to civil from criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana means the state won’t continue devoting resources to keeping a number of nonviolent offenders behind bars, and will go a long way toward Illinois’ achieving Gov. Bruce Rauner’s goal of reducing the state’s prison population by 25 percent come 2025. Moving to civil penalties for low-level marijuana possession should result in at least two positive outcomes:

  • Not burdening people with a debilitating criminal record: With good cause, employers and landlords conduct background checks before making hires and bringing on new tenants. But for someone who committed a nonviolent, low-level drug offense in the past, a criminal record becomes a red flag that prevents him from getting a job, applying for student loans and finding a place to live – in essence, keeping him from being a productive, independent citizen. For a person with a criminal record for minor possession charges, one small mistake can lead to a stunted future.
  • Saving the state money: Illinois spends over $38,000 a year per prisoner, far more than any of its neighboring states. Its prisons are operating at 150 percent capacity. Illinois Department of Corrections data show that in 2013, the state’s prisons housed 8,946 people for violations of the Controlled Substances Act and Cannabis Control Act out of a total 48,877 prisoners. Jailing people for low-level possession offenses is an expensive prospect. Illinois spent $127 million on police, $72 million in judicial and legal costs, and $22 million in corrections costs to enforce marijuana possession laws in 2010, according to data from the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2012, the Chicago Tribune reported that then-Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said marijuana arrests take police up to four hours each. Spending this time and money on nonviolent offenses takes away the manpower needed to respond to violent crimes, and it also crowds out money for core government services.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-house-passes-marijuana-decriminalization-bill/
 

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As more states legalize marijuana, adolescents’ problems with pot decline
Fewer adolescents also report using marijuana

May 24, 2016
Marijuana-760-760x507.jpg


Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the number of teens with marijuana-related problems, and the percentage using the drug, have declined even as states have legalized and decriminalized pot. (Photo: Brett Levin)

A survey of more than 216,000 adolescents from all 50 states indicates the number of teens with marijuana-related problems is declining. Similarly, the rates of marijuana use by young people are falling despite the fact more U.S. states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and the number of adults using the drug has increased.

https://source.wustl.edu/2016/05/states-legalize-marijuana-adolescents-problems-pot-decline/
 

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House Votes to Let VA Doctors Recommend Marijuana
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Week of May 30, 2016
Last week, the House endorsed a proposal which would allow VA doctors to discuss the use of medical marijuana with patients. The measure by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) had been offered previously as an amendment to an annual spending bill for the VA and military construction projects without success, but this time it passed on a 233-189 vote. Currently 24 states, along with the District of Columbia, have passed laws allowing access to medical marijuana to treat conditions including anxiety and traumatic brain injury. Fourteen of those states authorize doctors to recommend medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. "I think it is the right thing to do for our veterans, to be able to treat them equitably, to enable them to have access to the doctor who knows them the best, giving them better treatment and saving them money," said Blumenauer.
 

montesa

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There are risks and downsides to all freedoms. How many studies do you think there are that imply that guns are bad? Smoking? Drinking? Driving cars? Eating meat? Using fossil fuels? Just about everything can be bad. Should people be imprisoned for it is the question here not your opinion of whether it's bad or not. Freedom bitc*es. Enjoy it while it lasts and hope it does.
 

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There are risks and downsides to all freedoms. How many studies do you think there are that imply that guns are bad? Smoking? Drinking? Driving cars? Eating meat? Using fossil fuels? Just about everything can be bad. Should people be imprisoned for it is the question here not your opinion of whether it's bad or not. Freedom bitc*es. Enjoy it while it lasts and hope it does.
And falling in gorilla cages lol

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
 

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