The new bill makes a number of technical changes, including to allow persons convicted of marijuana and hashish offenses to expunge those offenses sooner and reduces penalties for underage possession.
Minors found in possession of marijuana would be subject only to “curbside warnings” or “stationhouse adjustments” from officers, policies aimed to change behavior without criminal or civil penalties.
Amendments announced Tuesday would have imposed fines of up to $250 for 18, 19 and 20-year-olds in possession of less than six ounces of marijuana, the legal limit under the unsigned legalization bill. Those fines would be increased to up to $500 for possession of more than six ounces of marijuana for people in the same age group.
The cleanup bill does bolster penalties — for minors and adults — found in possession of marijuana on school property. That would be a disorderly persons offense.
Most other changes are technical and do not substantively affect the legalization bill, though a provision was changed to give the New Jersey State Police, not the New Jersey Police Training Commission, purview over a developing marijuana recognition program.