If HB 63 passes the House and Senate, Texans would no longer face jail time or the collateral consequences that come along with a criminal drug conviction.
Category: decriminalization
New York: the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA)
A.1617, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), has been re-introduced this legislative session. The bill would legalize the adult possession, use, and regulated sale of marijuana. Over the past twenty years, many New Yorkers have been negatively affected by the harms of prohibition in New York. With people of color accounting for nearly 85% of those arrested annually, the MRTA directs the benefits of taxing and regulating marijuana to these communities. Because structural racism is ingrained in marijuana prohibition, it’s important that the MRTA both ends marijuana prohibition and promotes racial justice. Significant steps are taken in the amended MRTA to ensure racial justice and a small business-friendly industry, including: Creating a micro-licensing structure, similar to New York’s rapidly…
New Mexico: Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Decriminalization, Other Reform Bills
State lawmakers have approved a series of bills reducing penalties for marijuana possession offenses and strengthening and expanding legal protections for medical cannabis patients.
Minnesota: Attorney For State’s Largest County To No Longer Criminally Prosecute Marijuana Possession Offenses
Minor marijuana possession offenders will no longer be criminally prosecuted in Hennepin County, Minnesota, according to a new policy announced Thursday by County Attorney Mike Freeman. An estimated 1.2 million people live in the County, which includes the city of Minneapolis.
Marijuana Legalization Measures Gaining Momentum In Several States
Lawmakers in several states have recently moved forward legislative proposals to either legalize or decriminalize marijuana-related activities. Here is a look at where some of these efforts currently stand.
Marijuana reform is budding in New Hampshire!
In New Hampshire, there has been a great deal of progress in the last few years. Several bills have been introduced in the state legislature, ranging from legal hemp production to adult-use marijuana legalization, and the fight for freedom has never been more widely supported than now.
Delaware: Attorney General Calls For Expanding Use Of Civil Penalties For Marijuana Violations
Delaware prosecutors will no longer be encouraged to pursue criminal charges against those who possess marijuana for personal use, according to guidelines issued by the state’s new Attorney General, Kathleen Jennings.
Missouri’s Largest County Stops Prosecuting Marijuana Possession
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker recently announced that her office will stop prosecuting most marijuana possession cases. Earlier this year St. Louis City Prosecuting Attorney, Kim Gardner, took similar action on simple possession cases of up to 100 grams.
DECRIM, an Inference from a Year of Data in Atlanta – Most Cops Don’t Care
Since the unanimous passage of Atlanta City Ordinance 17-O-1152, which reduced the penalty for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana within the city limits of Atlanta to $75.00 and no jail time, what effect is the ordinance having on “simple possession” arrests in Atlanta?
Cities Across Georgia Continue to Ease Penalties for Marijuana Possession
As state lawmakers in Georgia continue to drag their feet on marijuana law reforms, municipalities across the Peach State are taking matters into their own hands. Kingsland is the seventh municipality to ease penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana.