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Vermont becomes 17th state to decriminalize…

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Vermont becomes 17th state to decriminalize marijuana, making possession of less than an ounce of pot punishable by fine

Toby Talbot/AP Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law on Thursday that makes his state the 17th in the nation to decriminalize possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. ByDavid Knowles PUBLISHED: June 6, 2013 at 5:10 p.m. | UPDATED: January 10, 2019 at 5:58 a.m. America continues to warm to weed. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a bill Thursday that decriminalizes marijuana, making possession of less than an ounce of the drug punishable by a small fine rather than arrest and possible jail time. In a ceremony at the Statewide Criminal & Juvenile Justice Training Conference in the town of Essex Junction, Shumlin made Vermont the 17th in the nation to rethink criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana. “This change just makes common sense,” Shumlin said. “Our limited resources should be focused on reducing abuse and addiction of opiates like heroin and meth rather than cracking down on people for having very small amounts of marijuana.”

In recent years, 18 states have legalized medical marijuana use, 17 have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of the drug, and 2 states have legalized its recreational use.

Under the new law, those under age 21 who are caught with marijuana will be required to undergo substance abuse screening. In the past, possession of up to 2 ounces of pot was punishable with a six-24 month jail term. “Decriminalizing marijuana possession will allow law enforcement officials to spend more time and attention addressing serious crimes and prevent people from being branded as criminals just for using a substance that most Americans agree should be legal,” Matt Simon, a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a release. To date, 18 states, including Vermont, have legalized medical marijuana. In last November’s elections, Colorado and Washington state voters legalized the recreational use of pot for adults over the age of 21. DKnowles@nydailynews.com

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