Schwarzenegger Signs Pot Decriminalization Bill
img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-19564" title="marijuana" src="/files/wxrimport/2010-10/marijuana.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="105" /><The Los Angeles Times reports:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Possessing up to an ounce of marijuana in California is now no more serious than getting a speeding ticket.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill late Thursday that reduces possession of an ounce or less from a misdemeanor to an infraction, with a maximum punishment of a $100 fine.
Even as a misdemeanor, possession of up to an ounce of pot was still punishable only by a $100 fine and no jail time. But offenders also faced arrest, a possible court appearance and a criminal record.
Schwarzenegger said after signing Senate Bill 1449 that he does not support decriminalization of marijuana, but the bill would save the state courts money.
"In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket," the governor said in a statement.
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