Marijuana Possession Now Decriminalized in Rhode Island

by Phillip Smith

Rhode Island became the 14th state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana Monday as a law passed last year went into effect. As of now, it is no longer a criminal offense to possess up to an ounce of pot.

People caught with small amounts now face only a civil citation similar to a traffic ticket and a fine of up to $150. But get caught three times within 18 months and you will be facing a misdemeanor.

People under the age of 18 who are caught will have their parents notified. They could also be required to attend alcohol and drug education courses and perform community service.

Decriminalization legislation was introduced by state Rep. John Edwards in January 2011. It was approved by the legislature the following year and signed into law by Gov. Lincoln Chafee last June. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) helped shephard the bill through the legislative process.

"We applaud the legislature and Governor Chafee for answering Rhode Islanders' calls for a more sensible marijuana policy," said Robert Capecchi, MPP deputy director of state polices. "Nobody should be subject to life-altering criminal penalties simply for using a substance that is objectively less harmful than alcohol."

SHARE:

Email This

Latest General
- Larken Rose On The Fraud Of Democracy And "Representative" Government
- Greenwald: Outlines New Strategy Against Bootlicker Journalism
- Texas Welfare Recipient Smokes Weed All Day
- Mark Levin Says He's Against Wealth Redistribution But Won't Say He's Against Medicaid
- Family Says They Did Tip Gay Server, Didn't Leave Note
- Good Guy Government [Comedy Pic]
- The Conscious Resistance: Preview of Adam Kokesh Interview
- Dan Dicks Interviews Stefan Molyneux On Anarchy And The Non Aggression Principle

Comments 1 - 3 of 3

Add Comment

Page 1 of 1

Anonymous

Posted: Apr 02 2013, 6:56 PM

Link

173242

This is the same state that legalized prostitution and then turned around and made it a crime again.

Anonymous

Posted: Apr 02 2013, 9:44 PM

Link

75169

This is not decriminalization...

Anonymous

Posted: Apr 03 2013, 8:59 PM

Link

75136

They make it semi legal so they can then take your rights from you over it later.

Add Comment

Name

Comment

* No HTML

Verification *

Please Enter the Verification Code Seen Below

PLEASE NOTE

Please see our About Page, our Disclaimer, and our Comments Policy.

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which in some cases has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for the purposes of news reporting, education, research, comment, and criticism, which constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (found at the U.S. Copyright Office) and other applicable intellectual property laws. It is our policy to remove material from public view that we believe in good faith to be copyrighted material that has been illegally copied and distributed by any of our members or users.

About Us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy