Two bipartisan state senators plan to introduce a bill again that would decriminalize marijuana in Pennsylvania.
Democrat Sharif Street and Republican Camera Bartolotta want to amend the state’s Controlled Substances Act that would change the possession of a “small amount’ of cannabis from a misdemeanor to a summary offense.
In a memo, the senators say that while medical marijuana is now legal recreational marijuana is still criminalized.
“This seems injudicious and, frankly, inappropriate,” the memo states.
Possession of small amount of marijuana is currently a third-degree misdemeanor with the maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a fine of $500. Also, if convicted, their driver’s license is suspended for six months.
The new legislation, SB107, would be a $25 fine and summary offense and no driver’s license suspension.
“Too many Pennsylvanians are facing criminal penalties just for possessing a small amount of cannabis, which is medically legal,” the senators say in a memo.”