AUGUSTA – Without debate, the Maine Senate killed a bill Thursday that would have specified what a “usable amount” of marijuana is in determining levels of punishment for possession.

The bill, LD 145, received a favorable committee review, but senators voted it down twice, in effect shelving it for the session.

It would have changed existing law to specify a threshold under which possession of marijuana becomes a mere civil infraction rather than a criminal violation. The threshold would have been set at 11/4 ounces.

Maine has considered possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use a noncriminal offense since the mid-1970s.