Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it the fourteenth state in the U.S. to decriminalize the possession of marijuana. The bill passed 90 to 57 after being approved by the Connecticut Senate last Saturday.
Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy, who has pledged to sign Senate Bill 1014 as soon as it reaches his desk, said that decriminalizing the drug does not mean its legalization.
“Let me make it clear – we are not legalizing the use of marijuana. In modifying this law, we are recognizing that the punishment should fit the crime, and acknowledging the effects of its application. There is no question that the state’s criminal justice resources could be more effectively utilized for convicting, incarcerating and supervising violent and more serious offenders,” Malloy said.
In seven of the other thirteen states, marijuana possession is not criminally sanctioned. The remaining six states have lessened the punishment by removing the possibility of incarceration on the first offense, but the offense is still considered a misdemeanor.
Currently, states that have decriminalized possession include Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.
Connecticut’s bill would make the possession of less than 14 grams of marijuana, or about 30 joints, a minor violation much like that of a speeding ticket. Though offenders will face no jail time or criminal record, first-time offenders will receive a $150 fine. Multiple offenses will result in a fine of $200 to $500 and those caught with marijuana three or more times will be required to submit to drug counseling at their own expense.
Younger offenders will experience harsher penalties. Those 21 and under will have their driver’s license suspended for 60 days and anybody 18 or younger will face a juvenile judge.
State lobbyist Erik Williams, a regional organizer for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), commends the state of Connecticut and the decriminalization bill’s supporters for taking the “first step in addressing the outdated and unworkable War on Drugs, which costs taxpayers [billions of dollars] every year and ruins individual lives and devastates communities.”
In the same statement, Williams said that ultimately, he is working for complete legalization.
“I will not stop working until medical marijuana is legalized and I ask you to continue to fight by my side,” he said.
Not everybody is so supportive of the bill’s approval.
Wolcott Rep. Rob Sampson (R-CT) says that though he believes he has a libertarian view of government, he is worried about the message decriminalization will send to the nation’s youth.
Rep. Frank Nicastro (D-CT) of Bristol, who cites marijuana as being a gateway drug, agreed with Sampson’s view.
“What we’re saying to the youth of our state is it’s not a crime anymore and they’re going to take advantage of that because they don’t realize how dangerous marijuana can be,” Nicastro said.
Fairfield Rep. Brenda Kupchick (R-CT), said that state legislation and drug use are not correlated because regardless of the “message” Sampson and Nicastro are concerned about, there will be people who both use and abuse illicit drugs.
“I’ve known a lot of people over my lifetime who’ve used marijuana, and who grew up to be productive citizens and never used drugs again, and I know people who took drugs out of their parents’ medicine cabinet and became full blown drug addicts and lost their lives,” she said.
For Malloy, the decriminalization bill is an answer to what he says has been a futile — and even harmful — war against drugs.
“Final approval of this legislation accepts the reality that the current law does more harm than good — both in the impact it has on people’s lives and the burden it places on police, prosecutors and probation officers of the criminal justice system,” Malloy explained.
What do you think of the decriminalization bill — is it a step in the right direction or is it sending the wrong message to America’s youth?
Sources:
http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2011/06/house-begins-debate-on-ma…
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6331
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/huge-connecticut-to-decriminalize-marijua…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/new-york-bill-to-curb-sto_n_872…
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