New cannabis guidelines for federal judges proposed

Marijuana Moment reports

The federal U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) held a public meeting on Thursday, where members voted to propose an amendment to update sentencing guidelines to suggest that judges treat prior marijuana possession offenses more leniently.

As it stands, federal judges are directed to take into account prior convictions, including state-level cannabis offenses, as aggravating factors when making sentencing decisions. But as more states have moved to legalize marijuana, advocates have pushed for updated guidelines to make it so a person’s marijuana record doesn’t add criminal history points that could lead to enhanced sentences.

The new USSC proposal doesn’t seek to remove marijuana convictions as a criminal history factor entirely, but it would revise commentary within the guidelines to “include sentences resulting from possession of marihuana offenses as an example of when a downward departure from the defendant’s criminal history may be warranted,” according to a synopsis.

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Read the full report at 

Federal Sentencing Commission Proposes New Marijuana Guidelines For Judges That Would Treat Past Convictions More Leniently

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