In Connecticut, a bill to decriminalize pot possession in general passed in the Senate on Sunday and the House on Tuesday.

When Gov. Dan Malloy (D) signs the measure into law, as he has promised to do, a first-time violation for possessing less than a half ounce of pot will carry a $150 fine. Possession of less than four ounces can currently be punished with a $1,000 fine and a year in prison.

Connecticut would become the 14th state to decriminalize some amount of marijuana.

Michael Lawlor, Governor Malloy’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning, told HuffPost the bill was intended to “free up a lot of resources in the criminal justice system to focus on more serious and violent offenses.”

Instead of sending suspects to be booked and enter the criminal justice system, they will receive a fine, and in Lawlor’s experience as a criminal justice professor, “swift and certain punishment is more effective than potential severity of punishment.”

It’s a step in the right direction.