PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island’s attorney general is proposing that possession of small amounts of narcotics be charged as misdemeanors instead of felonies.
Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement that the proposal would reduce the impact that drug addiction can have on someone’s ability to find a job or housing while allowing law enforcement to focus its resources on drug dealers.
Under the proposal, simple possession for personal use of drugs other than marijuana would be a misdemeanor if the amount is 1 once or less. Marijuana possession of similar amounts is already a civil violation.
The attorney general’s office says more than 20 other states already make possession of small amounts of drugs other than marijuana a misdemeanor.
The bill is being sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey of Warwick.
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