possession

Marijiuana, a divisive issue that normally resurfaces in Europe during election campaigns, has come home to France's hotly-contested presidential race. With eight months to go until the 2017 French presidential election, marijuana - or cannabis, as the French prefer to call it - is an honored...

El Paso, Texas - State Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) has filed a bill in the Texas Legislature that would replace criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana with a civil fine of up to $250. HB 81 is a similar bill to one filed by Moody (HB 507) last legislative session. It...

Whether it is more people using, stronger enforcement or a combination of both nearly 40 percent more people will be charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana in 2016 than last year, according to an analysis of court records conducted by The Sentinel. Those cases have doubled...

The Senate's majority leader last week requested that a state criminal justice agency examine Virginia's marijuana laws in light of recent national developments - and then weigh in on what kinds of changes might make sense. Sen. Thomas K. "Tommy" Norment Jr., R-James City, made headlines last...

Corpus Christi - State lawmakers are introducing a bill that would make the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana more like paying a traffic ticket. Nueces County Sheriff Jim Kaelin said the jail often houses people who have been charged with minor possession of marijuana and are unable...

Morton Grove, IL - Morton Grove could soon vote on an ordinance that would allow its police officers to issue fines for possession of small amounts of marijuana rather than making arrests. The village board is expected to vote on the ordinance changes at its Nov. 28 meeting, according to the...

Clark County - The Clark County District Attorney's Office is holding off on prosecuting simple marijuana possession cases, following the passage of Question 2. The new law, set to take effect on January 1, allows Nevadans 21 years and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for...

Newark - Newark voters approved decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana Tuesday, but Newark officials said they will not follow the new city law. Instead, the city will charge all offenses for possessing 200 grams or less of marijuana using state law instead of the new law...

In recent years, marijuana has become far less taboo in American society. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington D.C. have legislation making it legal to tax, sell and use marijuana recreationally, and more than half the states have medical marijuana programs that are incredibly...

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...

Clutching an enlarged check to the citizens of the City of Philadelphia in the amount of $9 million - an amount the city is said to have saved in public safety costs since decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana - signed "Mary Jane," marijuana activists gathered Thursday at City...

Giving police the option to issue a citation for possession of a small amount of marijuana rather than charging the individual with a state criminal offense could save a life. Saddling a careless but nonviolent offender with the burden of an undeserved criminal record can have long-lasting...

According to a new crime report published last week by the FBI, the Drug War is still a pervasive cause for arrest in the United States. The data, which covers recorded arrests for violent crime and property crime as disclosed by local police departments, revealed that arrests for simple...

In the state of Indiana, cannabis is not decriminalized. Cannabis is far less harmful than many other drugs, and it should be decriminalized because there are more serious crimes happening than possession of weed. It costs taxpayers more money and is more dangerous to those convicted or...

As nine states prepare to vote on legalize or decriminalization marijuana laws on Election Day, the FBI reported a significant decrease in the number of arrests made for cannabis possession and sales. The latest statistics report, which was released Monday, also indicated the majority of the...

Arrests for simple marijuana possession in the United States fell to nearly a two-decade low last year, according to new statistics released Monday by the FBI. The number of arrests for marijuana possession in 2015 - 574,641 - is the lowest number since 1996. It represents a 7 percent...

Johnson City, Tenn. - While larger cities in Tennessee are looking at officially de-criminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, authorities said, in many aspects, that's already the norm in Johnson City. On Tuesday, the greater Nashville Metropolitan Council is set to take a final...

Question 1 asks, "Do you want to allow the possession and use of marijuana under state law by persons who are at least 21 years of age, and allow the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products subject to state regulation, taxation and local...

Getting busted for a few buds of Northern Lights in Philadelphia will likely cost you a $25 fine. But it could land you in jail in most towns and cities in Pennsylvania that haven't decriminalize marijuana. State lawmakers are talking about decriminalizing weed for personal use, but legislation...

Prohibition of marijuana is ending across the country but Pennsylvania is still arresting 18,000 people a year for holding less than 30 grams of pot. Most of these cannabis enthusiasts avoid jail, yet face an expensive and often a long-term entanglement with the criminal justice system...