decriminalization

Less than 10 miles cost Marlena McConnell a night in jail and possible extradition back to Pennsylvania from her home in Mobile, Alabama. McConnell, who was 22 at the time, was traveling south on Interstate 81 in Franklin County late one night in October when she pulled onto the shoulder of...

Living in Portland in 2017 you could be forgiven for supposing marijuana has an assured future as a legal good. Dispensaries seem almost as ubiquitous as coffee shops. Vending exquisitely modulated highs they appear as an adjunct to the city's epicurean scene. And no one's blowing smoke about...

Thanks to this region, the effort to decriminalize marijuana in Virginia just got a major push. A Hampton Roads chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws launched this week. Dozens of people showed up for the kickoff event in Virginia Beach. This will be the...

Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam has submitted a letter to the Virginia State Crime Commission on Monday calling for the decriminalization of marijuana. In the letter, Northam says Virginia's marijuana enforcement and sentencing laws are costly and "disproportionately harmful to communities...

In response to an editorial "Is legalizing pot reefer madness?" New Jersey should legalize marijuana for adults 21 and over. Decriminalization does not go far enough. Decriminalization does not address the illegal, uncontrolled and unregulated marijuana market. Eliminating this market is...

America's policymakers evidently didn't learn anything from the disaster that was alcohol prohibition. (Jeff Sessions clearly didn't!) In fact, for a country whose citizens constantly assert a belief in individual liberty, we rank right up there on the forced prudery scale. As any historian or...

The City of Atlanta is considering fines instead of jail for recreational weed possession. But if decriminalization isn't coupled with new policies on arrest quotas, financial incentives and racial profiling, the main purpose of the change could go up in smoke. Hidden amid the smoke clouds...

Concord, N.H. - One New Hampshire representative hopes this is the year the state finally decriminalizes marijuana – roughly 40 years after he first sponsored a bill to do so. Democratic Rep. Chuck Grassie of Rochester is a sponsor of a bill that would remove criminal penalties for...

Politically, Virginia has come to be viewed as somewhat "purple," a mixture of southern conservatism and liberalizing suburbs, and weed activists now see it at the tipping point for legal marijuana. But could it go green? Probably not all at once. The Arlington County Civic Federation...

A resolution calling for decriminalization of marijuana use in Virginia didn't get out of the starting gate Dec. 6, as delegates to the Arlington County Civic Federation sent the measure back for more work. Federation president Stefanie Pryor acknowledged that "people have some concerns"...

Quick. Someone call Morgan and Morgan. I think I have a case. For months, years even, we've been told the effort to legalize medical marijuana in Florida was in no way, shape or form a precursor to legalizing recreational use. It was all about ending the suffering of seriously ill...

New Hampshire's general election is right around the corner, and at this point only one thing is clear: many voters don't even know who is running for state Senate. Most of the state's political oxygen has been sucked up by the presidential race, the race for U.S. Senate, and, to a lesser...

In a switch, one of Virginia's most powerful elected officials said Tuesday that he supports studying the decriminalization of marijuana. "I think it's absolutely crazy that we continue to lock people up for possession of a modest amount of marijuana," said Tommy Norment, the majority leader...

A vivid example of benefits from decriminalization of possessing small amounts of marijuana occurred at the Philadelphia airport recently, a few days after the release of a report from two prominent organizations that called for the national decriminalization of personal use/possession of...

Hide the Pringles. The potheads are comings. Pro-marijuana legalization activists and recreational partakers of weed are planning a public pot party around Philadelphia to mark the second anniversary of marijuana decriminalization: a Pop Up Weed Garden. Pro-pot activist and comedian NA Poe...

Hide the Pringles. The potheads are comings. Pro-marijuana legalization activists and recreational partakers of weed are planning a public pot party around Philadelphia to mark the second anniversary of marijuana decriminalization: a Pop Up Weed Garden. Pro-pot activist and comedian NA Poe...

Too many questions remain unanswered for marijuana decriminalization to be seriously considered in individual Tennessee cities, but Nashville and Memphis have pushed ahead with decisions on the issue. The Nashville Metropolitan Council was to have taken a final vote on its ordinance Tuesday...

Memphis, TN - The plans to decriminalize smaller amounts of marijuana in Memphis came to a head at City Hall on Tuesday - the proposal passed a second vote in council. Tennessee Black Legislative Caucus arrived at City Hall to show its support for the ordinance, in spite of threats from...

Nashville, Tenn. — Tuesday night was a victory for those supporting the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana. The Metro Council approved the bill on the second of three readings. Supporters like the idea of giving police the option to hand out a $50 civil ticket instead of a...

At last night's informal Norfolk city council meeting Councilman Paul Riddick called for a "total presentation" on marijuana decriminalization. "I would like to have a presentation by professionals to let us know their opinions," Riddick said in the portion of the meeting dedicated to council...