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The Governor
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee (I) signed SB 2253, which decriminalizes the the simple possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Last week the bill received its final vote in the state House of Representatives. This new law will make Rhode Island the 15th state to have decriminalized simple possession.
Previously, possession of a small amount of marijuana in the state was a criminal misdemeanor which could be punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $500. This new law will instead mean most possession violations for people over the age of 18 will result in merely a civil fine of $150 without jail time or a criminal record.
The is just the latest example of the growing success of marijuana reform across the country. Almost exactly a year ago Rhode Island’s neighbor Connecticut also decriminalized simple possession of marijuana, and so far this year initiatives to fully legalize marijuana have already qualified for the November ballot in both Colorado and Washington state.
One word of caution to people in Rhode Island, the new law technically doesn’t go into effect until April 1st, 2013.
10 Comments
One of the very few old school repubs I liked and somewhat disappointed he lost his senate seat.
Absent true legalization of the production and sale of marijuana, all of these decriminalizations just mean the Mexican drug trade is going to continue and grow more and more violent illegally supplying pot. It’s s start but doesn’t solve the worst of the problems associated with our national drug habit.
Most of those who use marijauna wouldn’t smoke the crap that comes north from Mexico because the domestic product is infinitely superior.
I think the people of R.I. are better off with Chafee as governor. He has a greater affect on their lives than he would in that useless govt. body known as the US Senate.
Only “somewhat” disappointed. If he won his first vote would have been to keep republican leadership in power. Also, Chafee lost, but Sheldon Whitehouse won. I’ll take that trade any day, no matter how lamentable the loss of an old school republican may be.
Hey SteveJ ,Legal weed would be good to keep many poor people from criminal disnfranchisement ,but contrary to myth ,there is no such thing as a marijuana cartel and,as you noted ,it doesn’t address the real cartel growth catalysts , ,e.g. ,cocaine ,heroin and highly addictive pills .
A Rhode Islander holding one’s breath until April 1st seems a long time.
So the decriminalization/legalization states are leaping forward, and good for them! They’re substantially withdrawing from the fray and adding to a critical mass. It’s not too difficult a path.
But going forward what’s going to develop with the medical use states and those attempting to license growing, sales, and/or taxing MJ? At that point it isn’t merely passive resistance by a state’s (mostly) non-involvement. Rather the state enters Fed prohibited commerce. What’s next for them?
I’ve never seen the statistics vis a vis what the drug cartels are actually bringing into the country, but it seems like I see a lot of seizures of marijuana on ships and at the border on the news (maybe because it is easier to find).
I think pot should be legal and agree more should be done to highlight and remedy the grossly disporportionate enforecement of our drug laws against minorities..
OK, so I just looked at Wikipedia. Half the cartels’ revenue comes from Cannabis according to Wiki.
Ok,what are saying your reference point is ? Cartels’ aggregate sum ? Mexican cartels ? The Zetas? Next you will be saying your source was their tax returns .All cartels are formed via inelastic demands,e.g.. OPEC ,Big Pharma,,basic food staples ,etc. .Maybe you should get your snout out of Wiki and into ECON 101 .