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Did the IN legislature really pass a law last year saying that possession of a third of an ounce of marijuana is now a felony offense?

Answer:  NO.

Indiana House Bill 1006 which called for myriad changes to Indiana Criminal Code was indeed passed (after some revisions) by both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by the governor.

Despite internet and newspaper rumors to the contrary, that bill did not call for an increase in penalties for marijuana-related offenses.  The original version of the bill involved minor decreases in marijuana-related charges; unfortunately, the revised version of the bill involved even smaller improvements than the original did. As it stands, the law still calls for very small reductions in marijuana-related charges - not as much improvement as with the original version of the bill and not nearly as much of an improvement as we need!

Currently, that law is scheduled to take effect in July 2014 but before then the 2014 session of the general assembly is expected to address related funding and sentencing issues.