Decriminalization removes penalties

The decriminalization proposal would remove all state penalties for possessing, manufacturing or distributing marijuana in the amount of 25 grams or less.

Though some municipalities, including Madison, already have decriminalized marijuana, state law classifies it as a Schedule I controlled substance.

That means a first-offense conviction for possession may carry a fine of as much as $1,000, imprisonment for as much as six months or both. Those convicted of second or subsequent violations are guilty of a felony and may be fined as much as $10,000, imprisoned for as much as three years and six months, or both.

Evers’ proposal includes a handful of scenarios in which medical use of marijuana could not be a legal defense. They include driving a vehicle or operating heavy machinery under the influence of marijuana, or consuming it on a bus, place of employment, school, correctional facility or other public spaces.

It calls for creating a process by which people convicted of possessing, manufacturing or distributing less than 25 grams of marijuana who completed their sentence could have their records expunged.