Revisions to the Cannabis Control Law and the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law that criminalize the use of marijuana, with penalties of up to seven years in prison, went into effect Thursday.
Previously, the Cannabis Control Law prohibited the possession and sale of marijuana but imposed no penalties for its use, creating what some experts have referred to as a “legal loophole.”
Under the revised legislation, marijuana and its psychoactive component, THC, are now classified as narcotics and regulated under the narcotics control law. This change criminalizes the use of marijuana and raises the maximum penalty for possession, transfer and now usage to seven years, up from five years.
The use of marijuana has been criminalized, with the maximum penalty for possession, transfer and now usage set at up to seven years in prison. Read More
