Wisconsin Community Fights for Marijuana Decriminalization

Lawmakers in one Wisconsin community are considering lessening marijuana possession violations in light of the recent marijuana decriminalization law in Illinois.

Stevens Point alder, Mary Kneebone said, “It’s just stupid to have these felony penalties.”

Kneebone supports efforts to reduce or eliminate jail time for the possession of small amounts of marijuana, WKOW reported. In Illinois, possession of 10-grams or less is now a $200 fine rather than a jail sentence. The previous punishment was a potential 30-day jail sentence for possession of just 2.5 grams of marijuana.

Wisconsin’s laws, at least as Mary Kneebone sees them, is a case of the crime not fitting the punishment. She said, “I think the police would be very happy not to have to deal with someone walking up and down the street with a joint in their hand. They’d much rather deal with the drunks because I think they’re more volatile.”

Given her praise of Illinois’ achievements, she wants her community of Stevens Point to adopt similar legislation by year’s end. Before efforts in Illinois came to light, over 100 individual communities adopted efforts to remove local penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.