SACRAMENTO (AP) — Possessing up to an ounce of marijuana in California is now no more serious than getting a speeding ticket.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that reduces possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction.
The maximum punishment is a $100 fine.
Schwarzenegger said after signing Senate Bill 1449 that he does not support the decriminalization of marijuana but that the bill would save the state courts money.
Even as a misdemeanor, possession of up to an ounce of marijuana was still punishable only by a $100 and no jail time. But offenders faced arrest, a possible court appearance and a criminal record.
