Marijuana decriminalization moves forward, Councilman says it makes fiscal sense

A measure to decriminalize marijuana in Philadelphia just took a step forward as a City Council Committee voted not to make arrests automatic for those found with small amounts of the drug. And money is playing a big part. Councilman Jim Kenney told Newsworks that the city would save $4 million in police and bureaucracy if it decriminalized pot by issuing fines for people possessing less than an ounce. Here's more: "We had 4,200 arrests last year for small amounts of marijuana. None of those 4,200 were processed by the district attorney, they were diverted, sent to school and paid a fine," he said Monday during a hearing before a City Council committee. "Seventeen-thousand police hours were spent off the street processing those with small amounts of marijuana ... 2,100 eight-hour shifts were lost." Meanwhile, a large amount of Pennsylvania voters are in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. The Quinnipiac University poll found that 85 percent of Pennsylvanians are in favor of legal weed when prescribed by a doctor. When it comes to possession for recreational use, voters are nearly split down the middle. The poll finds that, 48 percent support such legalization and 49 percent oppose it.
Source : http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2014/03/11/marijuana-decriminalization-moves-forward.html