October 1, 2010 by Aaron Turpen
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1449 into law, which reduces many adult marijuana possession charges from misdemeanor to civil infraction charges. This means no jail time, arrest, or anything more than a ticket for thousands of Californians who would otherwise be facing criminal charges, filling up jails, and otherwise useless actions that ruin their lives and clog up the justice system.
The new law amends the California Health and Safety Code so that adult possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana is punishable by nothing more than a civil ticket (similar to a traffic ticket) and $100 fine. No court appearance, costs, or criminal record additions are required or added.
There were 61,388 misdemeanor pot arrests in California in 2008. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2011 and would not be changed by Proposition 19, should it pass. In fact, it may contradict Prop 19 on some counts, depending on how the proposition’s law is interpreted.
The measure signed by the governor had broad support from both marijuana advocates and law enforcement.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1449 into law, which reduces many adult marijuana possession charges from misdemeanor to civil infraction charges. This means no jail time, arrest, or anything more than a ticket for thousands of Californians who would otherwise be facing criminal charges, filling up jails, and otherwise useless actions that ruin their lives and clog up the justice system.
The new law amends the California Health and Safety Code so that adult possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana is punishable by nothing more than a civil ticket (similar to a traffic ticket) and $100 fine. No court appearance, costs, or criminal record additions are required or added.
There were 61,388 misdemeanor pot arrests in California in 2008. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2011 and would not be changed by Proposition 19, should it pass. In fact, it may contradict Prop 19 on some counts, depending on how the proposition’s law is interpreted.
The measure signed by the governor had broad support from both marijuana advocates and law enforcement.
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