cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Decriminalization Advances Marijuana Decriminalization Advances Posted by CN Staff on March 27, 2003 at 10:35:27 PT By Jack Money, The Oklahoman Source: Oklahoman Lawmakers' plans to decriminalize marijuana possession may not be up in smoke yet. Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee voted Tuesday to move forward a Senate bill that could make possessing an ounce or less of the drug a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. Original Senate language proposing the change was removed before the House saw the bill this week. Rep. Bill Nations, D-Norman, told committee members he would be working to restore that language to the bill when it comes to the House floor later in the session. Nations told committee members the bill's effect would be to have police officers treat marijuana possession the same as they might a traffic ticket. He said an agreement mirroring the law change already exists between Norman law enforcement officials and the Cleveland County district attorney's office as a way to reduce court congestion. "And there is support for this sort of movement on this issue from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies," Nations said. Sen. Bernest Cain, D-Oklahoma City, authored the bill. It goes next for consideration by the full House. Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)Author: Jack Money, The OklahomanPublished: March 27, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.Contact: yourviews oklahoman.comWebsite: http://www.oklahoman.com/Related Articles:Lawmakers Looking To Cut Prison Populationhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15680.shtmlPanel Suggests Ways To Ease Prison Crowding http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15673.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 07, 2003 at 15:14:14 PT News Brief from KTUL.com House Rejects Making Marijuana Possession A Misdemeanor Monday April 07, 2003 Oklahoma City (AP) Possession of marijuana will remain a felony in Oklahoma.The state House voted 84-to-13 today against a bill to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor.Opponents say marijuana is a gateway drug, leading users to more dangerous narcotics. Critics of the bill also say they don't want to be soft on crime.Supporters say the bill would reduce the backlog of cases in courts and leave police free to investigate more serious crime.The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission also has recommended making the possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor.Officials say it would reduce overcrowding in the state's and prison system. Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0403/82065.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dark Star on March 27, 2003 at 13:05:28 PT More Good News Slowly, but surely, Washington, DC is becoming an isolated island of Prohibitionist furor. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment