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Pompo

Senate Judiciary Committee passes pot bill
2/7/08| Rutland Herald| by Daniel Barlow, Vermont Press Bureau

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill Thursday that removes jail time as a possible penalty for most small marijuana possession cases.

The bill would offer the court diversion program for people arrested for their first or second offenses for possessing one ounce or less of the plant, a far cry from the push for decriminalization that some have called for.

"What I've been told and what this committee has heard is that this is current practice across the state," said Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, the chairman of the committee who offered up the changes Thursday.

The bill, which passed out of the committee in a 4-1 vote, is expected to land on the full Senate floor next week.

 

Victor_vicious

This could be considered progress. I think there may be a few problems with it , I haven't read the specific bill, so maybe not. Vermont already has some form of medical marijuana, so maybe they are getting done what they feel they can get done this go around. 4-1 in committee, should pass. VV

Jake

It's always a very nice step because going to jail means losing freedom. If you can't lose your freedom just by smoking a plant, it's a very good step.

The reason I don't really worry about getting arrested or getting pulled over is because possessing cannabis is literally the only law that I make a habit of breaking (well, I speed every so often....)

I don't rob, I don't kill. I don't harm another person. Knowing that I am not doing anything bad is what makes me comfortable around cannabis. And it's nice when the law and the courts start agreeing.

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Buzzby

Do you think that the 800,000 Americans arrested for marijuana offenses last year were doing something "bad"? People get busted because they trust the wrong people, because they make a one-time stupid mistake, or simply because they're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I got busted because I tried to help a friend who was freaking out and her father decided that his little angel couldn't have possibly have taken LSD on her own. I almost got busted because I was driving a rental car three mph over the speed limit when they were trolling for traffickers.

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Pompo

I'll go you one better Buzzby
I was traveling through Kansas when I came up on a line of about 15 cars backed up behind a state trooper who was going exactly the speed limit. Me, being the "poke the hornets nest" kind of guy I am felt the need to pass the line of cars at exactly 1 mph over the speed limit. When I got up to the trooper, we traded glances and I couldn't resist the big cheesy grin He pulled me over and gave me a warning for going 1 mph over the speed limit All said and done, we had a couple of laughs and I was on my way.

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Jake

I was merely saying that engaging in other criminal activities makes it much easier to get busted for pot. From what I've seen/heard, most pot busts in this nation come about due to arresting people for other crimes, and they happen to have a few grams on them.

Viper420

One other problem besides going to jail (which is bad enough in and of itself) is the record you now have. Corporate America doesn't look kindly on people with drug convictions in their file. With jail time, you do the time and BAM, its over. However, your record will follow you for a long time and you'll be repeatedly punished for your record.