On Saturday, Gov. Ralph Northam approved legislation, SB 2/HB 972, which would decriminalize cannabis possession — but requested several amendments. Before the bill is enacted, the legislature must consider the governor’s proposed amendments, which include pushing back the due date for a legalization study by a year and deleting a provision that would end driver’s license suspensions for marijuana possession. The legislature is set to reconvene and consider the amendments on April 22. If the bill…

If you were worried about going to prison for getting caught with marijuana in Arkansas, you can breathe a little easier today. Back in March, the Arkansas Legislature, backed by Gov. Mike Beebe, passed a law to reduce the penalties for possession of up to four ounces of marijuana. Starting today, a judge may place a person under probation for a year without formal charge, instead of the regular sentence of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. This option is at the discretion of the judge, so…