Pubdate: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Timothy B. Wheeler Page: 8 MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION BILL CLEARS SENATE, NOW GOES TO HOUSE Possession of small amounts of marijuana would be treated as a civil offense rather than a crime under a bill that passed the Senate on Friday. The vote was 36-8. The measure now goes to the House of Delegates, where similar legislation failed to get out of committee last year. Under the bill, anyone caught with 10 grams or less of the drug would be issued a civil citation and fined up to $100. Juveniles would be required to appear in court and could be ordered into drug treatment, as could adults receiving their third citation. Proponents argued that recreational marijuana use should be decriminalized to shield those who are caught from a record that could cost them jobs or get them kicked out of school. Nearly 20,000 Marylanders were charged last year, and 3,000 fined or jailed, according to Sen. Robert A. "Bobby" Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat who cosponsored the bill with Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, a Howard County Republican. Sen. Bryan W. Simonaire, an Anne Arundel County Republican, opposed decriminalization, arguing that "just say no" was a better approach to drug usage. He warned that teenagers would be encouraged to use marijuana because the penalty would be a fraction of what they could get for underage alcohol consumption. Zirkin argued there's no evidence from the 18 states that have decriminalized marijuana that it leads to increased drug use. "The war on drugs is not working," said Sen. Christopher B. Shank, a Washington County Republican, who cited racial disparity in how the current law is enforced. He said treating marijuana use as a crime is a waste of resources that could be better spent on more serious crimes and on providing treatment to those who need it. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt