Marijuana Policy Project

Twelve states currently have laws on the books that take away criminal penalties for citizens possessing small amounts of marijuana. Vermont may join that list at number 13.

State Representative David Zuckerman has introduced a bill that would replace a misdemeanor criminal penalty for possession of less than an ounce of pot with a civil fine of $100. When the bill was introduced, Tuesday, it had 18 co-sponsors.

"It's really a different class of drugs than some of the more serious drugs and I think it's important that state policy follow the level of severity of the drug," said Zuckerman.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held several public hearings regarding a similar bill last session. A vast majority of those who testified supported the idea of decriminalization. A recent poll by the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C., found that 63 percent of Vermonters support Zuckerman's bill.

One of the biggest supporters of the bill is a group called the Vermont Alliance for Intelligent Drug Laws. Its executive director, Nancy Lynch, says public opinion towards pot is different now than in the past. She points to Massachusetts, where a decriminalization law was put before voters in November and passed by a vote of 65 percent.

"I think the decriminalization of marijuana has become a non-issue in most people's minds," says Lynch.

It is not, however, a non-issue for law enforcement officials who plan to oppose bill. Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling says even small amounts of marijuana can be dangerous because they are only the tip of a much larger drop operation.

"Small amounts of marijuana are distributed by, in many cases, larger networks, larger criminal organizations," Schirling told the Burlington City Council at the end of January.

Some law enforcement officials say they are interested in having the choice of civil penalties along with criminal penalties.

Zuckerman says State Senator Jeanette White is getting ready to introduce a similar bill on the Senate side.