Marylanders caught with marijuana may soon face a small fine instead of time behind bars.
The Maryland Senate voted in favor of a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana on Tuesday.
On a bipartisan vote of 30-16, the Senate approved legislation that makes possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense, subject to the maximum penalty of a $100 fine, according to the Capital Gazette. Laws currently on the books for a such a possession invokes a maximum penalty of $500 and 90 days in prison.
If the bill becomes law, Maryland would join a growing number of states that are enacting more lax marijuana laws, including Colorado and Washington state, where voters chose to legalize marijuana on ballot referendums in 2012.
The sponsor of the bill, State Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), said that the law was needed in order to avoid overspending on charging individuals with possession of small amounts of marijuana.
