The bill would change the charge of marijuana possession for 18, 19 and 20 year olds from a misdemeanor crime to a violation, more like a speeding ticket.
And second, going forward, it would change the charge of marijuana possession for 18, 19 and 20 year olds from a misdemeanor crime to a violation, more like a speeding ticket.The House held a final debate Wednesday — April 20 — before voting on the bill.
The bill’s supporters say past convictions for something that is now legal shouldn’t be a barrier to opportunities like employment or housing.“To some extent, we’re sort of in an equivalent situation, it’s like 1935, prohibition on alcohol ended seven years ago,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “And to what extent as a society are we really deeply concerned about whether people were drinking in the 1920s?”
“I think it’s important for the public to be able to tell whether it’s a speeding violation, or whether it’s a marijuana conviction, that somebody was or was not following the law in the past. That matters to an employer,” Carpenter said.