Bill aims to rein in Maine's drug trafficking law, among the nation's harshest
As part of a slate of bills to move away from failed “War on Drug” policies, Maine lawmakers heard a measure Friday that would reform the state’s felony drug trafficking law so that people can no longer be charged with a crime that can carry a sentence of up to 30 years simply for possessing a certain quantity of specific drugs.
Currently, Maine statute allows prosecutors to pursue a drug trafficking charge if someone possesses two or more grams of heroin or fentanyl — which advocates said is a small amount for people with a substance use disorder — and to bring a drug furnishing charge for more than 200 milligrams but less than two grams of those substances.
LD 1675, sponsored by House Assistant Majority Leader Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), would strike from the legal definition of drug trafficking and furnishing those weight amounts. As a result, prosecutors wishing to pursue a felony drug trafficking charge would have to actually prove a person intended to sell the drugs.
That change would bring Maine in line with most of the rest of the country, as 39 other states require that prosecutors demonstrate intent to sell when bringing a drug trafficking charge, according to the ACLU of Maine. As currently written, Maine’s drug trafficking laws are among the harshest in the country, creating a litany of barriers to essential needs such as housing and employment once someone gets out of prison.
Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/bill-aims-to-rein-in-maines-drug-trafficking-law-among-the-nations-harshest/