Vermont may soon follow its New England neighbors in decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. A tri-partisan bill has recently been introduced in the state House that would make the penalty for adults caught with less than two ounces of marijuana simply a $100 fine. A similar bill was also introduced in the state Senate but it would set the limit at one ounce.

The City of Detroit plans to continue its effort to keep a local marijuana decriminalization initiative off the city ballot despite recently losing the case in the Michigan Court of Appeals. The city plans to appeal the ruling to the State Supreme Court.

The residents of Detroit may get to vote this summer on a city ballot initiative that would remove all city-based criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for people over 21. Voters had been denied the chance to vote on this in 2010, but last Friday in a 2-1 decision the Michigan Court of Appeals concluded the city acted inappropriately in keeping the measure off the ballot.

Recently elected Democratic Governor Dan Malloy wants Connecticut to join its neighbor Massachusetts in making the penalty for minor marijuana possession a simple fine.

A new report from the Vermont Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office shows that decriminalizing marijuana would result in the state saving roughly $700,000 a year, making it a fiscally conservative move.