MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION ADVANCES

Lawmakers' plans to decriminalize marijuana possession may not be up in
smoke yet. Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee voted Tuesday to
move forward a Senate bill that could make possessing an ounce or less of
the drug a misdemeanor punishable by a fine.

Original Senate language proposing the change was removed before the House
saw the bill this week.

Rep. Bill Nations, D-Norman, told committee members he would be working to
restore that language to the bill when it comes to the House floor later in
the session.

Nations told committee members the bill's effect would be to have police
officers treat marijuana possession the same as they might a traffic ticket.

He said an agreement mirroring the law change already exists between Norman
law enforcement officials and the Cleveland County district attorney's
office as a way to reduce court congestion.

"And there is support for this sort of movement on this issue from the
Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies," Nations said.

Sen. Bernest Cain, D-Oklahoma City, authored the bill. It goes next for
consideration by the full House.