Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Erin Cox ZIRKIN, KITTLEMAN JOIN ON MARIJUANA BILL A bipartisan pair of state senators plans to introduce a proposal today to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. "We're not trying to encourage people to smoke pot," said Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat who is leading the effort. "I don't think that having a joint should be a jail-able offense. I don't think that's the definition of a crime." Under the bill, it would no longer be a crime to have less than 10 grams of marijuana. Instead, the proposal calls for making possession a civil offense that could result in a ticket for adults and drug treatment for minors. The measure cleared the Senate last year but didn't get a vote in the House of Delegates. Republican Sen. Allan Kittleman of Howard County is a co-sponsor of the measure. He said the legislation would keep police out of courtrooms for minor drug offenses. "They're losing hours and hours of time that could be put toward protecting public safety," he said. Kittleman, who is running for county executive, said he's decided against cosponsoring a separate measure that would legalize marijuana, regulate it and tax it like alcohol. He said that while it's important for the state to debate whether to drop the long-standing prohibition of pot, some parts of the proposed legalization effort concern him. In particular, he said, he is against a provision to expunge the criminal records of people convicted of possession charges. Kittleman said those convicted in the past knew it was illegal at the time. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D