Policy

Maryland Senate Votes to "Decriminalize" Small Amounts of Pot

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Marijuana plant
Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Public Domain

The Maryland Senate voted today to "decriminalize" possession of up to ten grams of marijuana. Even a few Republicans supported the measure, which passed on a 30 to 16 vote.

GOP Sen. Nancy Jacobs, for example, said that her husband has cancer and that "if she needed or wanted to buy a small amount of marijuana for her husband, she would want to be able to do that."

Just because the law decriminalizes small amounts of pot does not mean there won't be any penalties at all for someone found with the drug. Those caught with less than ten grams of pot will still be cited and fined $100. 

Still, tickets and citations pale in comparison to the tragic consequences that thousands face each and every year as we continue to wage the longest war in American history.