Right now, if you're caught in Florida with 20 grams of cannabis or less, you get a misdemeanor charge and risk 1 year of incarceration...not to mention a $1,000 fine. This may change due to a proposed bills in Florida with the goal of decriminalizing possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana.

The Decriminalization Bills

The decriminalization bills (House Bill 1403 and Senate Bill 1662) were proposed by Florida's 49th District's Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith as well as Florida's 31st District's Senator Jeff Clemens. Basically too many people are going to jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana, and these two bills' common goal is to stop that.

This proposed decriminalization bills would allow for up to 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use. Getting caught would only lead to a citation / civil violation rather than an arrest / misdemeanor. Civil violations aren't going to stop people from getting jobs in the future, and that's a step in the right direction. More than an ounce, and you're facing a felony charge with years of jail time. That's not subject to change in Florida anytime soon.

For a brief summary clip to sum it all up, check out Tampa Bay's ABC coverage of the decriminalization efforts in Florida below.

For more Florida Marijuana News: click here.