cannabisnews.com: Panel To Call For Easing of Marijuana Penalties





Panel To Call For Easing of Marijuana Penalties
Posted by FoM on June 22, 2000 at 07:41:20 PT
By Ben Rogers, Review-Journal 
Source: Las Vegas Review
A judicial commission of the Nevada Supreme Court will recommend easing penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana and being under the influence of drugs when the Legislature convenes in February.    Possession of marijuana is a felony punishable by prison time in Nevada, among the nation's toughest states for pot offenders. The commission will recommend reducing the penalty for possession to misdemeanor status with a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. 
  The commission, headed by Chief Justice Bob Rose, also recommended reducing the penalty for being under the influence of a controlled substance from a felony to a misdemeanor.    The same recommendation was rejected by the Legislature five years ago.    Bill Gang, program coordinator for the Nevada Supreme Court, served on the Judicial Assessment Commission in 1994. He said that recommendations similar to the 1994 commission's suggestions for softer marijuana sentences likely are to appear on in this year's final report, due out around September.    Gang said the Rose commissions are designed to tackle politically sensitive issues.    "The Rose commission, from its inception, has been an independent commission whose job it was to take a broad picture look at how the system operates without regard to politics or community pressures," said Gang.    The commission has 40 members, half of which are judges and lawyers, the other half lay persons.    The 1994 commission report suggested that possession of one ounce or less of marijuana become a misdemeanor, and one to four ounces become a gross misdemeanor. Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana is a felony.    Possession of large quantities of marijuana or indications of an intent to sell the drug would still carry a felony penalty. As little as an ounce of marijuana could become a felony offence if prosecutors believed it was intended for sale.    Judicial officials said many cases of possession of up to four ounces of marijuana are reduced to misdemeanors in Clark and Washoe counties, but prosecuted to the full limits of the law in rural Nevada.    Both counties offer some drug offenders the chance to go through drug court, a lengthy program in which participants can avoid more serious criminal penalties.Published: Thursday, June 22, 2000Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2000 Related Article:Panel Calls for Softer Laws on Pot Possessionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6126.shtml
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