# marijuana **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2000, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786 "2000-08-26T02:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zebbmx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/958977/32.png) [@zebbmx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zebbmx)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/1 "2000-08-26T02:06:51Z")
i heard this the other day(my apoligies if this has been posted before) but i heard that the cops cant do anything about it if you have an 1/8 or less of marijuana in your possession. Well dopers…is this true? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/2 "2000-08-26T02:10:39Z")
1/8 ounce, you mean? That amount is probably negligible . . . besides, how would they even know it was marijuana if it were that little of an amount? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/3 "2000-08-26T02:23:29Z")
What cops… where cops…what jurisdiction? IIRC in some areas having a very tiny amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor, so although it’s not technically true that they “can’t do anything”, they can give you a ticket. I don’t know of any areas where there is a sub-critical amount of marijuana that renders you immune from any legal recourse. Are the police going to carry tiny gram scales with them? Hold it right there punk! I know you’re holding. OK officer you got me. I’m holding 3.5437 grams. Arrrgh!! ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/4 "2000-08-26T02:28:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*OK officer you got me. I’m holding 3.5437 grams. > \*\* On a similar note (not that I’m condoning . . .), how about having lots of baggies with 1/8 ounce in them, each? Interesting idea, though eventually you have to admit that you have X ounces of M, where X is the number of bags divided by two. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/5 "2000-08-26T02:32:08Z")
Laws vary from place to place, but considering that an eighth of an ounce is more than enough for a couple of joints, I doubt that it is true that they can’t do anything about in most places. Not that they will necessarily do anything about it. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/6 "2000-08-26T02:41:13Z")
All it takes is a very little amount to use in a test kit. One seed or little piece is enough to test. As far as the OP goes. This varies GREATLY state to state. In some states, _any_ possession of marijuana is a felony. In Florida, possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis is a misdemeanor. But it is still a crime and therefore you can still be arrested. So the answer to your question is “NO. This is not true” ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/7 "2000-08-26T02:46:33Z")
> [@](#): > > On a similar note (not that I’m condoning . . .), how about having lots of baggies with 1/8 ounce in them, each? Interesting idea, though eventually you have to admit that you have X ounces of M, where X is the number of bags divided by two. Dont do that **iampunha**. If you have little seperated baggies, even if it is less than 20 grams total, you will be arrested on a FELONY here. Since individually wrapped baggies is probable cause for “possession with intent to sell”. So you are better off with all of it in one bag. BTW, what is the ounce-grams conversion? How many grams is 1/8ounce? ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/8 "2000-08-26T02:48:47Z")
Here in CA I believe less than an oz is a misdemeanor ticket. Basically, not shit. Unless you have it packed to sell, i.e. possesion with intent to sell. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/9 "2000-08-26T02:56:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*BTW, what is the ounce-grams conversion? How many grams is 1/8ounce? \*\* Good to know, bear. I’ll keep that in mind. I think 16 ounces is like 454 grams or so. An ounce is a nice, neat number of grams, though . . . ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/10 "2000-08-26T03:13:20Z")
Happened to a buddy of mine. He bailed himself out of jail, and now has to deal with probation for about a year. A little lighter than a DWI, but certainly not just a ticket. But this is Texas. With that said, my experiences with cops has usually been good. I even played golf with a cop once. We got set up with these older guys. By the first hole they were toking up. I looked at him, knowing him as the high school stoner he was, and he just grinned like he had better things to do. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/11 "2000-08-26T04:14:57Z")
One ounce =(approx) 28 grams, or “three fingers.” One quarter = 7 grams (8 if you have a cool dealer who accounts for stems, seeds, and bag), or “two fingers.” One eighth = 3 1/2 grams. If you’re lucky. A dime = 1 gram (sometimes). Or, a leveled tablespoon of shake in SE DC (circa 1985). Or, ten bucks worth. A lid = A lot, nowadays. Supposedly a common resealable container lid of shake, evened with (of course) the back of a butter knife. Any more than two of the above, or any combination thereof in Virginia = distribution. Cut off that pony tail. I will be corrected, of course, because all of these measurements are entirely subjective and differ from town to town, not to mention region to region or country to country. It’s not like it’s regulated, or something. When I was a student at Radford U., a “dime” typically weighed about two grams. Ten miles away, at VT, you couldn’t get one that small. Or that large, for ten bucks. Marijuana laws vary drastically from state-to-state. Piece of advice: if you are ever pulled over for any reason while travelling, tell the cop, especially a state trooper, you were coming from visiting a friend somewhere in-state when he asks. Note the first on-ramp in the state you have just entered and know the second-nearest town from there. Might save you from interstate trafficking charges, and might make the cop less inclined to search. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/12 "2000-08-26T10:30:33Z")
An eighth of an ounce is a significant quantity of pot, and you can definitely be arrested for it. I don’t think there’s any bottom limit, unless it’s a negligible amount in a place that it could have been on you by accident. (eg, maybe some weed dust is in the dirt in the treads of your shoe. No one’s going to test the crap in the treads of your shoe, of course, but you would probably never get convicted even if they did.) Here in NYS, possession of, I think less than an ounce, is treated as a non-criminal violation. Woohoo! That’s right. Not even a misdemeanor. However, as in most jurisdictions, if you have more than one container, you can probably be nailed with intent to sell. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/13 "2000-08-26T12:06:11Z")
In CA, possesion of ANY amount makes you subject to arrest. An 8th of an ounce would be simple possesion (not with intent to sell). If it’s in your car, your car is subject to forfiture. ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/14 "2000-08-26T12:45:03Z")
In South Australia, up to 3 plants is considered “personal use”. If caught, you receive an on-the-spot fine, with no conviction recorded. This law was instigated by a previous government as a way of freeing up the court system. ---
**Author:** ![m3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6f9a4e/32.png) [@m3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/m3)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/15 "2000-08-26T16:41:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DVous Means \* > \*\*In South Australia, up to 3 plants is considered “personal use”. If caught, you receive an on-the-spot fine, with no conviction recorded. This law was instigated by a previous government as a way of freeing up the court system. \*\* I’m moving to australia 😉 As far as a bottom limit, one of my friends was arrested for having a few stems that he’d forgotten about in his car ashtray. He pleaded with the judge,“c’mon stems?” the judge replied,“as long as it can be weighed…” ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/16 "2000-08-26T16:55:04Z")
In Wisconsin even a tiny amount of burnt residue inside a pipe is considered possesion. And yes, they can test even the smallest amount. It’s considered an infraction here if it’s under 10 grams (ticket) and a misdemenor if over. However, if you were convicted once of misdemenor possesion, the second time you get caught with over 10 grams it’s a felony. Moral: Don’t get caught with any! ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/17 "2000-08-26T17:25:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*In CA, possesion of ANY amount makes you subject to arrest. An 8th of an ounce would be simple possesion (not with intent to sell). If it’s in your car, your car is subject to forfiture. \*\* Nope. Wrong as hell Spooje. Under an ounce, no suspected trafficking, just a bag…misdemeanor. The ticket’s about $100-$120. I also think you’re wrong about forfeiture. The only time you’d be up to forfeit your property is, once again, if they can prove you intended on distributing what you have in your posession. If you wanna transport pot, keep it under an ounce, and keep it in one bag. Hell, I don’t even think “Smoke a joint, lose your license” is in effect anymore in Ca. Just a little from someone who **KNOWS**.😃 -Sam ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/18 "2000-08-26T17:59:42Z")
> [@](#): > > The only time you’d be up to forfeit your property is, once again, if they can prove you intended on distributing what you have in your posession. Historically, forfeiture hasn’t required proof of anything, nor even the filing of any charge. Three days ago, the [Hyde bill](http://www.fear.org/menuidx2.html) went into effect and its modification of civil asset forfeiture law include the abolishment of the cost bond that was a big part of the problems with asset forfeiture abuse by police agencies. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/19 "2000-08-26T18:16:57Z")
Well Beatle, this is a **Federal** bill, not a **Local** Bill, and I doubt anyone around here is gonna get busted by a fed for a joint, or an eighth, or a “lid”. So I think you can relax a bit. My point is still valid, and the law in California still stands. Unless you’re under arrest for suspected trafficking or distribution, you won’t lose any property unless it’s drug-related. -Sam ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786/20 "2000-08-26T19:01:16Z")
As for Canada, sit tight. The Supreme Court here has ruled that if the government doesn’t amend its pot laws within a year, they will be null and void and the gentle weed will be 100% legal. Woo hoo! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana/30786.md?page=2)