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 The five-member commission approved a ballot measure that would
give voters the chance to decide whether to abolish a current
statute classifying possession of less than one ounce (28 grams) of
marijuana as a misdemeanor.
Under the current law, penalties for possession of small amounts of
marijuana range from fines between $50 to $100 and up to 15 days in
jail.
The Santa Fe City Council must now approve putting the measure on
the November ballot. A vote was expected Wednesday.
Santa Fe is the latest U.S. city to take steps towards
decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. Washington D.C. earlier
this year decriminalized possession of less than one ounce, part of
a nationwide trend to eliminate penalties for holding small amounts
of the drug.
Colorado and Washington state legalized recreational marijuana use
in voter initiatives in 2012.
More than 7,000 petition signatures were obtained by local activist
groups to support the Santa Fe ballot measure.
(Editing by Victoria Cavaliere)
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