Covered at Reason 24/7: Marijuana Decriminalization Goes Into Effect Today in Rhode Island
As of today anyone caught with less than an ounce of marijuana in Rhode Island will face a $150 fine. Legislators in Maine, Vermont, and Maryland are considering similar legislation while in Indiana the governor has put forward a proposal that would make possession of between a third of an ounce and 10 pounds of marijuana a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
From The Huffington Post:
This is not a prank: Rhode Island will officially decriminalize less than an ounce of marijuana on April 1, as a law signed last year by independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee goes into effect.
Decriminalization means that holding onto less than an ounce in Rhode Island will be punishable only by a $150 fine. Rhode Island's move makes it the fourteenth state in the nation to do away with criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. In Colorado and Washington, meanwhile, marijuana is legal.
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