On Tuesday, March 4, the D.C. Council voted almost unanimously to significantly ease penalties for marijuana possession. Such decriminalization made the nation’s marijuana laws among the most lenient in the nation. This approved legislation lessens the penalty of possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a criminal offense with a penalty of six months in jail or a $1,000 fine to a civil offense that carries a $25 fine. The bill also changes the penalties for public consumption of marijuana. Originally the penalty for this offense was a $1,00 fine or six months in jail, but now the legislation lowers the penalty to a $500 fine or 60 days in jail. A councilman suggested that the bill was motivated by the common use of marijuana laws to arrest African-Americans. While progressive, the bill still has ambiguity; for example, police officers cannot arrest after smelling marijuana, but they can arrest if they see marijuana smoke. The legislation now goes to the desk of the D.C. mayor.
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