Watered-down pot decriminalization advances in DC

WASHINGTON (AP) — District of Columbia lawmakers took a long-awaited first step Tuesday toward decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, but not before watering down the bill to maintain criminal penalties for smoking in public.

In the first of two votes on the bill, the D.C. Council voted 11-to-1 to make possession of up to one ounce of marijuana a civil offense subject to a $25 fine. The bill would also decriminalize smoking pot on one’s own property. But the council also approved an amendment that would treat smoking in public the same as possession of an open container of alcohol, which is a low-level misdemeanor.