According to CBS Philly the original bill, authored by councilman Jim Kenney, would have police issuing citations akin to a parking ticket for possession of one ounce of pot or less, much like laws here in California. However, Nutter’s administration and police officials aren’t really feeling that approach. So Kenney and the mayor have reached a compromise: the infraction would result in what’s called a “non-summary civil offense.”
If busted with weed, stoners would be required to appearance before a Municipal Court judge, but there would be no criminal record. Anyone caught smoking weed in public would face a $100 fine, that can be waived if they agree to several hours of public service.
“There will be no criminal record for an individual. And that’s a major step,” Kenney says. “We have so many people that we are putting in the prison pipeline, and the poverty pipeline, because a criminal record is a debilitating thing.”
The new approach will allegedly spare more than 4,000 people from being arrested each year, and will save the Philadelphia Police Department about $4 million a year.
Changes to the bill are expected Thursday, when City Council returns from its summer recess. Once that happens, it’s up for a final vote and then sent to mayor Nutter for his autograph.
Think it will pass? Let us know in the comments below…
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Thsy need to legalize it in Philadelphia already, greedy bastards