SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1669        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1586

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act punishing possession of marijuana in a vehicle.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 24I of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after subsection (d) the following subsection:-

(e) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, whoever, upon any way or in any place to which the public has a right of access, or upon any way or in any place to which members of the public have access as invitees or licensees, possesses any amount of marihuana in the passenger area of any motor vehicle shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1,000.  The court shall report any conviction or adjudication of delinquency by reason of a violation of this section to the registrar who shall suspend such defendant’s or juvenile’s license or  right to operate for a period not to exceed 90 days.

SECTION 2.  Said section 24I of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “beverage”, in line 25, the following words:- or any amount of marihuana.