Pubdate: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) Copyright: 2014 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc Contact: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340 Author: James F. Kenney Note: James F. Kenney is a Philadelphia councilman at-large. Page: A17 SIGN CITY BILL ON POT ARRESTS There is an everexpanding chorus of serious and legitimate voices in government and the media who are calling for the decriminalization - if not outright legalization - of marijuana. Twenty-three states and a number of cities have already enacted new laws legalizing or decriminalizing possession of marijuana. While stopping short of full legalization, President Obama has said this year that he believes marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol, and his administration's 2014 National Drug Control Strategy notes that "an enforcement-centric ' war on drugs' approach to drug policy is counterproductive, inefficient, and costly." Last week, the New York Times Editorial Board called for the legalization of marijuana, writing, "It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol." Over time, societies change and people see things differently. It is incumbent upon our leaders in government to adapt to changing attitudes and move society along, making adjustments and tweaks to our laws that govern how we act as a whole, and how we treat and interact with one another. Such was the case when City Council recently passed my legislation that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana, with police issuing a citation for a $25 fine, but with no arrest and no criminal record for the person being fined. Aside from the thousands of lives that have been sidetracked - if not destroyed - because of criminal arrests for marijuana possession, there have been countless hours of valuable police time wasted arresting and processing citizens whose only "crime" was possessing a substance the New York Times described as "far less dangerous than alcohol." Last year alone, Philadelphia police spent an estimated 17,000 hours making 4,336 marijuana-related arrests - arrests that the District Attorney's Office said it would never prosecute. Those 17,000 police hours spent on marijuana arrests - at least 2,100 individual eight-hour shifts - were police time that could have been better spent fighting violent crime and making our neighborhoods safer. Since 2008, Philadelphia police have made more than 30,000 arrests for simple marijuana possession. More than 82 percent of those arrested - 24,755 people - were African American. Those 30,000 arrests over a sixyear period used up about 180,000 police hours - or 22,500 individual eight-hour shifts. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, 16,671 violent crimes, including murders, rapes, and robberies, were committed in 2013. How many of those violent crimes could have been prevented if police resources were redirected away from nonviolent marijuana arrests? How many more violent criminals could have been apprehended and brought to justice if two-officer police crews didn't have to waste, on average, two to three hours per marijuana arrest? These arrests would be eliminated if Mayor Nutter signed my legislation, which was passed by City Council. Philadelphia could then begin to treat this matter as it should - as a public-health issue. On this, the mayor and I agree: More must be done to treat and prevent drug addiction. That is why my bill also requires that information on drug-treatment programs be given to parents of teenagers who are cited for marijuana possession. It also requires that all revenue from the $25 fines go to the city's Department of Health - specifically for drug treatment and addiction prevention programs. Change can be difficult. I get that. But failing to make much-needed changes to our laws when common sense and justice cry out for change is unconscionable. It's time, Mayor Nutter. As someone who embraced the call for change as a cornerstone of his mayoral campaign and his administration, it's time to be a part of the change that is so desperately needed. It's time for Mayor Nutter to sign into law what The Inquirer Editorial Board described as "a reasonable moderation of Philadelphia's approach to marijuana enforcement." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom