The Vermont Senate has approved legislation that would remove criminal penalties and replace them with civil fines like a traffic ticket for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana.
By a vote of 24-6, the Senate on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a bill similar to one that already has passed the House.
The Senate version has some differences from the bill that passed the House, among them that fines would increase for a second or third and subsequent offenses.
The Senate bill also contains a provision under which someone profiting from the sale of marijuana could face enhanced penalties for not paying taxes on the income from drug sales.
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