Entra en vigor la ley para la descriminalización de la marihuana en Washington DC

Washington DC ha puesto fin a las sanciones penales por la posesión de pequeñas cantidades de cannabis, dando a la capital de los Estados Unidos una de las leyes más liberales en este ámbito en todo el continente. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

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Washington DC has ended criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis, giving the US capital one of the most liberal marijuana laws in America.

Beginning on Thursday, people caught with less than one ounce (28g) will be assessed a $25 (£15) civil violation, akin to a ticket for littering.

It remains a crime punishable with jail to sell cannabis or smoke it in public.

The new law was intended to ease racial disparities in marijuana arrests.

When they passed the law in the spring, Washington DC city councillors noted that surveys show white and black people smoke marijuana at roughly the same rate, but in Washington DC black people were far more likely to be arrested and jailed for marijuana possession.

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