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Possession of Marijuana and Its Consequences

Recreational usage of cannabis is against the law in Pennsylvania. However, even a small amount could be considered illegal in several of the state’s major cities without a legitimate medical ID card. In 2016, the state legislature enacted a law that legalized medical marijuana. If you are caught with more than 30 grams of marijuana, you will be charged with a misdemeanor. You might spend up to a month in jail and pay a fine of $500. A competent drug PFA lawyer in Philadelphia may be able to help you secure a pretrial release.

Damages or Consequences

Possession of more than thirty grams of marijuana carries a $5,000 fine and a jail time of up to one year. If you have a history of conviction for the same offense, you could face harsher punishments this time. 

Even though marijuana possession is still illegal at the state level in Pennsylvania, many local jurisdictions have passed legislation to reduce the severity of penalties for minor possession offenses. Philadelphia is one of many cities with such regulations. In Philadelphia, possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana is a civil infraction rather than a criminal one. If that’s the case, there’s only a $25 fine. If caught with even a small amount of cannabis in public, you will face the same consequences.

Certificate of Medical Identity Validity

The state of Pennsylvania has issued medical marijuana identification cards to sure of its citizens. However, there is an application process, and participants must have a qualifying disease to be accepted into the program. The Medical Marijuana Registry is where prospective participants apply for and, if accepted, obtain their identification cards. Each cardholder may only buy a certain amount of marijuana with their ID, and the card itself costs money. In most cases, buyers with ID cards are limited to stocking up for the next 30 days.

The Art of Growing Pot

While it is just a misdemeanor to be caught with marijuana in Pennsylvania, it is a felony to sell any amount of marijuana that you have grown yourself. Among the punishments are:

  • Growing up to nine pounds of marijuana, or more than two pounds, or planting ten to twenty live marijuana plants, has a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $5,000. Fines and punishments may increase for subsequent offenses.
  • To grow between 21 and 50 pot plants might earn you three years in prison and a fine of $15,000. If you grow more than 49 pounds, you face up to 49 years in prison. If this is a repeat crime, you might look at the original sentence twice.