A new study finds that state marijuana laws vary widely from state to state, with convictions in many cases triggering consequences that even judges and prosecutors are unaware of, the San Francisco Chronicle reported July 5.

The Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, which supports legalization and state regulation of marijuana, reported that consequences of a marijuana conviction range from losing the right to adopt a child (Alabama and Oregon) to a lifetime ban from public housing (Utah) to being prohibited from receiving food stamps or welfare (the penalty in many states for growing marijuana).

"For many people, (the penalties) can result in a lifetime of hardship -- an unrecognized punishment that continues long after they have served their criminal sentences or completed probation," said the report, which ranks states by the severity of their marijuana laws. Florida was listed as having the toughest marijuana laws; New Mexico was found to have the lightest penalties.

"Judges have no idea what gets triggered" by a conviction, said lead author Richard Boire, a California attorney. "Defense attorneys can't advise their clients. ... Our hope is to bring more rationality to this process, with the idea that the punishment ought to fit the crime."

The report was funded by the Marijuana Policy Project.