The city’s new district attorney and the state Supreme Court are moving to all but decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use in an effort to unclog Philadelphia’s crowded court dockets.
Under a policy to take effect later this month, prosecutors will charge such cases as summary offenses rather than as misdemeanors. People arrested with up to 30 grams of the drug – slightly more than an ounce – may have to pay a fine but face no risk of a criminal record.
The new approach was endorsed by Chris Goldstein, a leader of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). His group has been quietly lobbying prosecutors and top Philadelphia narcotics police for change.
Chris is also the founder of this podcast and blog and a tireless activist with PhillyNORML. He truly embodies the spirit of NORML – equally comfortable covering a Boston Freedom Rally in a Phillies cap as he is walking the halls of the statehouse in a suit.
Goldstein, of NORML, said his group had been lobbying for relaxed treatment of marijuana cases for more than a year, meeting with members of the District Attorney’s Office, Mayor Nutter’s staff, and police brass.
“This is a very progressive thing to do on the part of the city,” Goldstein said of the new policy. “I couldn’t be happier about this.”
This really shows how a committed group of volunteers – Robert Dougherty (Executive Director), Casey Goldsmith (Deputy Director), Chris Goldstein (Communications Director), Derek Rosenzweig (Secretary), Tim Graham (Treasurer) – can build a NORML chapter with hundreds of members and become a political force in their city.
It’s more than just holding rallies and distributing educational materials, though those are definitely important. PhillyNORML met face to face with the politicians and identified a way to get them to support reform. They came backed up with research that showed Philadelphia was unique in Pennsylvania in requiring a custodial arrest for a misdemeanor amount of marijuana possession and calculated how much time and money this policy was costing the city.
Unfortunately, like those legends of Japanese soldiers found on Pacific islands who didn’t know WWII was over, there are still those in law enforcement who won’t let their meal ticket to easy arrests fade away quickly.
Police have been briefed on the policy shift, but appear less than enthusiastic about it.
“We’re not going stop locking people up,” Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, said Friday. He said marijuana possession remained illegal.
“We’re going to stop people for it. . . . Our officers are trained to do that,” Vanore said. “Whether or not they make it through the charging process, that’s up to the D.A. We can’t control that. Until they legalize it, we’re not going to stop.”
I guess PhillyNORML – and all of us – still have a lot of work to do.
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[...] recent months, the cities of New Orleans and Philadelphia have enacted municipal proposals reducing minor marijuana offenses from criminal misdemeanors to [...]
[...] recent months, the cities of New Orleans and Philadelphia have enacted municipal proposals reducing minor marijuana offenses from criminal misdemeanors to [...]
[...] vote on Thursday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. In recent months, the cities of New Orleans and Philadelphia have enacted municipal proposals reducing minor marijuana offenses from criminal misdemeanors to [...]
Marijuana needs be to completely legalized. Let’s face it. The illegalization of marijuana causes more harm than good. It’s time for the state to adopt a new policy… actually, the whole country. I’m sick of these “cops” acting all big and bad,
““We’re going to stop people for it. . . . Our officers are trained to do that,” Vanore said. “Whether or not they make it through the charging process, that’s up to the D.A. We can’t control that. Until they legalize it, we’re not going to stop.””
Just shut the hell up. Seriously… you’ll let people drink so much they need their stomach pumped, but you won’t let someone smoke a blunt? That is far less harmful than alcohol. Reform needs to happen NOW.
It’s a baby step here in Philly. About time that an alternative to a criminal record was introduced. It’s nothing on the big scale, but everything in our legislative system takes such a long time anyway that any little bit helps.
However, I do have my concerns that cops may harass the same people multiple times for an easy ticket and car ride to the station if they know they’re likely to be holding again, namely african americans who definitely receive the majority of the arrests here in Philly.