By George P. Hassett

A Somerville legislator is pushing a bill to make the penalty for possession of marijuana ‚Äúessentially  equal to a traffic ticket.‚Äù State Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen‚Äôs bill would decriminalize marijuana possession less than one ounce and impose a civil fine on offenders of $250.

Jehlen, D-Somerville, said she first filed the bill as a state representative with her predecessor former state Senator Charles E. Shannon in 2002 after Somerville voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum directing state delegates to work to revise the penalties for marijuana possession.

In her testimony at the State House Monday Jehlen said the prohibition of marijuana has done more harm than good as individuals who are caught by law enforcement carry criminal convictions on their records that show up on background checks and can be denied financial assistance for college.

“The greatest harm in marijuana is getting caught with it by law enforcement. The current system does not stop people from using marijuana but can derail the careers and education of people who happen to get caught,” she said.

Jehlen’s bill would change the penalty for people caught with up to one ounce of marijuana from a $500 fine, up to one year in jail and a one-year loss of driver’s license to a $250 civil fine.

Currently a marijuana conviction excludes college students from receiving federal financial assistance for school.

The bill would also clear the extensive backlog of cases in the state’s courts, she said. A Boston University study found that decriminalizing marijuana possession would save the state $24 million a year in court and police costs.

Fears that decriminalization will lead to increased use of marijuana are unfounded, she said.
“In all of the studies on the issue there has been no evidence this change in law would increase drug use,” she said. “Actually it would increase punishment as cases can be resolved quicker.”

The bill must be approved by the House and Senate and then signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick before it goes into effect.