VT Considers Decriminalizing Marijuana
Possession would draw a citation, not jail time
MONTPELIER — If you are caught speeding, running a stop sign, buying cigarettes under age 18 or burning trash, you'll get in trouble. You're likely to get a ticket and have to pay a fine, but you won't go to jail and you won't end up with a criminal record.
Legislators who support decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana argue the same should be true if you're caught with a small amount of the drug.
"It's a civil violation that in my mind sends a message that something's not proper. We still penalize it. We don't think it merits a criminal conviction," said Rep. Richard Marek, D-Newfane, a sponsor of the marijuana decriminalization bill.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?