PHILADELPHIA — Activist N. A. Poe scored a victory for common sense in the City Of Brotherly Love. Poe has been pressing for reasonable drug laws for years. While protesting at the Independence Mall Federal Park in the Old City section of Philadelphia, he was wrongfully arrested during a peaceful demonstration. Then, this Spring while still on probation, Poe ran for City Council. Although there was no victory, he did garner 5% of the vote.
Today, Poe’s legislation passed.
Moral of the story: if you can’t beat ’em… try to join ’em… if that fails… beat ’em.
Philly NORML reports: “‘Breaking 6/19/2014: Today the full Philadelphia City Council approved a bill to reduce marijuana penalties and stop custodial arrests.
“This is nothing short of a historic day for civil rights in Philadelphia,” said PhillyNORML Co-Chair Chris Goldstein, “We can now stop the practice of having the harshest penalties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for having a small amount of marijuana.”
Sponsored by Councilman James Kenney the measure downgrades cannabis possession of 30 grams or less to a civil offense, making the fine $25.
Philadelphia currently arrests more than 4,000 people each year for small amounts of marijuana. City policy required every offender to be put into handcuffs and a holding cell; a practice that is not replicated anywhere else in Pennsylvania. The new policy should save the city more than $4 million dollars each year in the Public Safety Budget.'”
