FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 3/7/2013
PhillyNORML – Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
EVENT: 3/10/14 at 10AM – Philadelphia City Council hearings to ease marijuana penalties
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1476355762586439/
Philly City Council schedules hearing to ease marijuana penalties Monday 3/10
Philadelphia – The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Law and Government will hold a hearing on March 10, 2014 at 10AM on Councilman Jim Kenney’s bill to ease marijuana possession penalties.
Representatives from PhillyNORML, National NORML, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Temple Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and the American Civil Liberties Union PA are scheduled to testify in favor of the bill.
There are more than 4,000 marijuana arrests in the city each year: about half of all drug possession violations. Under local codes, Philadelphia is the only municipality in Pennsylvania with a mandatory custodial arrest procedure for any amount of cannabis.
Marijuana arrests in Philadelphia have a stark racial disparity as pointed out in reports by PhillyNORML and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Black residents represent more than 80% of Philly’s marijuana arrests, yet white and black Americans use marijuana at equal rates. The move by City Council could directly address this issue.
Kenney’s bill, File #140001, would stop custodial arrests and allow police to issue a summary violation (ticket). The bill would also reduce fines and require additional, detailed reporting prom police on all marijuana violations.
PhillyNORML has been meeting with city government on this issue since 2010. The first result was the Small Amount of Marijuana program currently employed by the District Attorney’s office. But the SAM program has brought no decrease in the volume of custodial arrests for marijuana.
PhillyNORML feels this bill is a strong start towards more comprehensive reform in Pennsylvania.
“Ending mandatory custodial arrests for small amounts of marijuana, and making enforcement of possession of small amounts of marijuana the lowest police priority, is a positive shift thee city of Philadelphia can make for its citizens and visitors,” said Derek Rosenzweig of PhillyNORML, “For further change we must rely on the state legislature to end marijuana prohibition and fully legalize cannabis for adults.”
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