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Possession of up to 14 grams of marijuana would be decriminalized under a bipartisan Wisconsin bill announced Friday.
The proposal, which was announced in a memo seeking legislative support and mirrors a bill the same authors released in 2021, would almost certainly be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, but it’s highly unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Possession of small amounts of marijuana should not subject people to serious penalties, bill authors Reps. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers; Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, D-Milwaukee; and Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, said in the memo.
The authors noted North Dakota, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Nebraska have removed jail time for people caught with small amounts of marijuana.
The proposal would reduce the penalty for possessing up to 14 grams of marijuana from a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail to a $100 fine.
Current law allows repeat offenders to be charged with a felony. This proposal would eliminate counting a previous charge for possession of 28 grams of marijuana or less.
The proposal would require local governments to fine people found to possess marijuana no less than $100 and no more than $250. That would raise the penalties in some areas like Madison, which has decriminalized possession of up to 28 grams, or Rock County, which calls for a $1 fine for possession of less than 28 grams.
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