[caption id="attachment_6239" align="alignright" width="152"] Rep. Kelly Alexander[/caption] North Carolina State Rep. Kelly Alexander, Jr. (D-Mecklenburg) introduced a bill to downgrade the penalty for simple possession of marijuana in the state.  H637, which was co-sponsored by seven of Rep. Alexander’s Democratic colleagues, passed first reading Wednesday and was referred to the House Committee on Judiciary. Currently, individuals in North Carolina convicted of possession of under a half-ounce…