Proposed Maryland bill allows up to 1 gram of heroin!

[dizzle (OP)]

https://www.deepdotweb.com/2016/02/25/maryland-bill-to-decriminalize-drugs/



Maryland Bill To Decriminalize Drugs  Posted by: Fuzzy February 25, 2016 in Featured, News Updates

          Maryland House Bill 1119, sponsored by Delegate Dan Morhaim, aims to downgrade “violations relating to the use or possession of specified de minimis quantities of specified controlled dangerous substances” from misdemeanors to civil offenses; effectively decriminalizing drugs.


However, the also aims to penalize anyone for using or possessing less than 10 grams of marijuana or anyone possessing a “de minimis quantity of specified controlled dangerous substances”. It also explains the “procedural provisions” for issuing citations to anyone using or possessing less than 10 grams of marijuana or possessing a “de minimis quantity of specified controlled dangerous substances”.
The bill defines the “de minimis quantity of specified controlled dangerous substances” as less than:
 

• 10 grams of marijuana
• 2 grams of cocaine
• 1 gram of heroin
• 10 tablets of 3, 4–Methylenedioxymethamphetamine 4 (MDMA)
• 0015 grams of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
• 1 gram of Methadone
• 1 gram of Amphetamine

According to the bill, anyone who uses or possesses marijuana can not be imprisoned for more than a year or fined more than $1000 or both. If it’s your first time using or possessing a “de minimis quantity of specified controlled dangerous substances”, you can not be fined more than $100. If it’s your second time, you can not be fined more than $250. On your third violation, you can not be fined more than $500.
There are some conditions to these fines though.

“In addition to a fine, a court shall order a person under the age of 21 years who commits a violation punishable under subsubparagraph 1, 2, or 3 of this subparagraph to attend a drug education program approved by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, refer the person to an assessment for substance abuse disorder, and refer the person to substance abuse treatment, if necessary.”
“In addition to a fine, a court shall order a person at least 21 years old who commits a violation punishable under subsubparagraph 3 of this subparagraph to attend a drug education program approved by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, refer the person to an assessment for substance abuse disorder, and refer the person to substance abuse treatment, if necessary.”
If you smoke marijuana in a public place, you can not be fined more than $500.

If a police officer cites you for using or possessing a “de minimis quantity of specified controlled dangerous substances”, the citation must include:
 

• the name and address of the person charged
• the date and time that the violation occurred
• the fine that may be imposed
• a notice stating that prepayment of the fine is allowed, except as provided in paragraph (2) of [subsection D]
• a notice in boldface type that states the person shall

• pay the full amount of the preset fine; or
• request a trial date at the date, time, and place established by the District Court by writ or trial notice

If a person under 21 is cited, the court will summon that person for trial. If a person who is at least 21 has committed multiple violations, they will be summoned for trial also. However if the person is under 18, that person will be subject to Title 3, Subtitle 8A of the Courts Article.

Regarding citations, the bill states that “official record of a court regarding the citation are not subject to public inspection and may not be included on the public Web site maintained by the Maryland Judiciary.”
The bill aims to take effect October 1, 2016.

[Morfy]

Hasn't LE worked-around such "minimums" by doing bogus shit, like weighing the container & other "non-drug components" and including that with the actual drug weight to go above such minimums?


Like, let's say one has 8 grams of Marihoochi, but its baked into 200 grams of delicious Toll House Cookies (R) *TM, then the reported drug weight would be "208 grams of Marihuana"?


It would be interesting if this passes WITHOUT any bogusness.

[thetalkingasshole]

1g of heroin
OR
1g of methadone

Doesnt seem quite fair
considering they'd probably weigh the pill rather than the dose in it
So discriminatory against pill users!
Where's my allowable 1g of morphine?

[Griffin]

Morfy that actually happened in texas, they charged him with felony possession and he was originally looking at life in prison because they weighed the brownie in the pan and charged him with having that much weight of weed. People who think that way need to be put in prison, I feel that way about most people against drug use especially weed but wanting to give a kid life for pot is beyond fucked up.

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/07/teen-pot-brownies-prison/13711905/

He ended up getting 7 years of probation and a FELONY for it. He violated his probation a few months ago and since his sentence is 7 year deferred he is looking at doing the rest of his time in prison now. I can't believe the stupidity of people who think ruining anyones life for weed is right or okay. It makes me second guess my views on the death penalty, I am usually against it but if a judge sentenced someone to life for pot or really any drugs or anyone is for that I'd be okay if they got the death penalty.

thetalkingasshole I thought I was going to have to deal with that when I got arrested last year. I was able to get off of an intent to distribute charge for having my own prescribed meds in the wrong bottle. It was 2 different meds 30 day supplies, which was only like 700 mgs total but I thought they were going to weigh the pills and probably the container to make the charge stick. The cut off here is anything above 7 grams is felony intent to distribute and they gave it to me since it was 2 full scripts and didn't know the limitations behind it until I told them.

My public defender didn't know either and if I wouldn't of looked up my own charges I probably would of got stuck with it, but I was able to get it dropped and the felony possession dropped down to a misdemeanor. Even though it was mine own script but 2 misdemeanors and no felonies is better than what I could of got.

[Guts]

Morfy

The cops do that all the time. Lean, which is codeine and promethazine cough syrup, is really big in Texas. Especially Houston. It's also a drug that's popular with rappers and the black community. People will usually pour an oz or 4 into a 20 oz soda. To get over, the cops will weigh the entire soda and charge them as if all of the liquid was codeine.

[JackyOphile]

wow, seeing this on the day before the justice dept announces the grace period before kratom is scheduled makes me even more confused.

1 gram of H is fairly decent....I think in mexico its less than that.

1 gram of methadone is almost obscene....sort of......but who the hell has access to pure methadone?
and could the cops be trusted to not count the filler in pills of methadone? its odd, because methadone is already legal....sorta strange they would move towards putting the rub on the pharmaceutical companies.

impressive suggestion never the less.

[Dog Food]

The only way this minimal amounts allowed would work and make sense, is if they actually made these cops use their brain when figuring out how much there is there.  If theres a label on it and they know what mg or weight of the actual controlled substance, they gotta add up whats there instead of just dumping it, tylenol and all, on a scale.  For things like street dope, i think the best we can ask for is that it be taken out of the container when weighed.

[Snoop]

Yeah. I had a buddy who got rolled over on a Parole Sweep, cuz his roomate (mutual friend) had an extra extra small grow going on in the garage....

3-4 plants.... Not even mature. Not even bearing sweet sweet fruit yet.

5-0 takes plants to evidence where they are weighed (pot, soil and plant all together) and documented..... As being 27 lbs of maryjane!

Quite duplicitous. Quite typical.

Quite.

[Dopeless Hopefiend]

Yeah. I had a buddy who got rolled over on a Parole Sweep, cuz his roomate (mutual friend) had an extra extra small grow going on in the garage....

3-4 plants.... Not even mature. Not even bearing sweet sweet fruit yet.

5-0 takes plants to evidence where they are weighed (pot, soil and plant all together) and documented..... As being 27 lbs of maryjane!

Quite duplicitous. Quite typical.

Quite.

That is beyond fucked up! I hope his lawyer was able to get that bullshit thrown out.

[Z]

Yeah. I had a buddy who got rolled over on a Parole Sweep, cuz his roomate (mutual friend) had an extra extra small grow going on in the garage....

3-4 plants.... Not even mature. Not even bearing sweet sweet fruit yet.

5-0 takes plants to evidence where they are weighed (pot, soil and plant all together) and documented..... As being 27 lbs of maryjane!

Quite duplicitous. Quite typical.

Quite.

That is beyond fucked up! I hope his lawyer was able to get that bullshit thrown out.

Probably not. That's really common.