MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 13, 2010
Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Gets Hearing in Rhode Island Tomorrow
Bipartisan H 7317 Would Remove Criminal Penalties for Possession of Less Than One Ounce of Marijuana, Replace With $150 Fine
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on H 7317, a bill that would remove criminal penalties for adults found possessing less than one ounce of marijuana and replace them with a $150 civil violation. Under current law, those found possessing small amounts of marijuana face up to a year in prison and a $500 fine.
        Introduced by Rep. John Edwards (D-Portsmouth, Tiverton), H 7317 is co-sponsored by 48 percent of the House of Representatives. In 2008, 65 percent of voters in neighboring Massachusetts voted to decriminalize marijuana. Last month, a bipartisan state Senate commission tasked with studying the effects of marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island voted 11-2 to recommend removing criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. In February, the editorial board of the Providence Journal endorsed decriminalizing marijuana as a way to relieve strain on the judicial system.
        WHAT: House Judiciary Committee hearing on H 7317, a bill to decriminalize marijuana in Rhode Island  Â
        WHO: Experts will testify in favor
        WHERE: House Lounge
        WHEN: Rise of the House
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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