​A bill that would reduce the penalty for possessing up to an ounce of marijuana to the status of a traffic violation has been approved by two Hawaii Senate committees.

The Committee on Judiciary and Labor with the Committee on Health to pass SB 1460 on Friday afternoon, February 4, reports the Hawai’i News Daily. The bill establishes a civil violation for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana that is subject to a fine of not more than $100.

The bill would also delete reporting requirements of the board of education for students possessing an ounce or less of pot, and clarifies that medical marijuana patients and primary caregivers may assert an affirmative defense to prosecution, criminal or civil, involving possession of one ounce or less.

Possession of more than an ounce of marijuana would be excluded from the state courts and state paroling authority to require defendants or paroled prisoners to undergo and complete substance abuse treatment.

The bill clarifies the state’s definition of “detrimental drug” to exclude one ounce or less of marijuana, and clarifies that possession of one ounce or less of marijuana does not constitute a possession with intent to distribute without other conduct indicating an intent to distribute for purposes of promoting a controlled substance in or near schools, school vehicles, or public parks.