Vermont moves toward decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

By Zach Howard
Mon May 13, 2013 2:53pm EDT

(Reuters) - Vermont's legislature on Monday approved a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, a measure the state's governor expects to sign into law in the coming weeks.

The move sets up the New England state to be the 17th in the United States to remove criminal penalties for having small amounts of pot. It does not go as far as Colorado and Washington, which in November became the first states to legalize possession, cultivation and use of marijuana by adults for recreational use.

Vermont's House of Representatives on Monday gave final approval to a proposal to remove criminal penalties for adult possession of up to one ounce (28.3 grams) of marijuana and instead penalize with a civil fine, similar to a traffic ticket. Persons under age 21 caught with pot would be required to undergo substance abuse screening.

The House's action upheld changes to the bill last week by Vermont's Senate, including a provision that decriminalized possession of up to five grams of hashish, a potent pot derivative.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/13/us-usa-marijuana-vermont-idUSBRE94C0VZ20130513

[garbagein_garbageout]

1. We need our Choom Gang president to get on the right side of this

Instead of being as big a hypocrite as his two pot smoking predecessors, Obama should be behind a national initiative to legalize it, or at the very least stop the insanity of going after medical marijuana facilities thereby denying patients the relief the need and deserve.

[samsingh]

2. very awesome and enlightened.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. That will make 15 decrim states and 2 legalization states.

But check back on the second Wednesday in November 2014.

[garbagein_garbageout]

4. Notice the photo at the Reuters link?

What is that? Is anyone familiar with this? Because I've never seen anyone use a propane torch and a glass beaker to smoke pot like it's some kind of lab experiment.

The caption below the photo says something about a customer at a sports bar in Olympia, WA using a torch to heat up a pipe to smoke pot. That photo is the kind of garbage intentionally used by the media to polarize people against pot. It's like saying smoking a little pot is equal to running some kind of meth lab. That's the kind of nonsense the media uses to bend public opinion and it's ridiculous but nothing I wouldn't expect from the likes of Reuters or any of the mass media.

[SwankyXomb]

6. When I was in college

My roommates and I had a bong made from repurposed chem lab equipment.

[Sunlei]

7. I think thats a crack pipe, lol.

[azurnoir]

5. Here's a list of states that have decriminalized marijuana

Alaska
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nebraska
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Rhode Island

and now Vermont

http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana/item/states-that-have-decriminalized

[Sunlei]

8. we need millions of johnny appleseeds to grow our national weed everywhere :)