Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Thursday afternoon said that he will instruct his attorneys to no longer prosecute cases wherein only a charge of marijuana possession has been filed.
Mr. Krasner – who on Thursday morning appeared on WURD Radio 96.1FM/900AM and alluded to the aforementioned news – revealed to the local news media that this week his office dropped more than 50 cases of marijuana possession.
“I did it because it was the right thing to do,” the district attorney said, adding that his office, and the Philadelphia Police Department, can use those resources to, instead, solve homicides.
A news report published last February asserts that more than half of Philly’s murders go unsolved.
Mr. Krasner said that he and the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Richard Ross, have had productive conversations. And, assuming PPD is of the same mind, eventually no one in Philadelphia will be arrested for simply possessing marijuana.
There’s no point in arresting people if they won’t be charged, Mr. Krasner, a newly-elected Democrat, said.
“Given the deep and disturbing racial disparities, over decades, it’s pleasing to hear that the new DA will end the practice of arresting citizens for marijuana possession,” said legendary journalist Mr. Linn Washington, who’s a co-facilitator of Temple University’s Marijuana in the News. “Prior to the de-criminalization of marijuana in 2015, thousands of Philadelphians were arrested every year – and it came with a life-ruining criminal record. While it is good to see the DA taking this action, it does raise questions why black city officials haven’t addressed this, despite racial disparities being present year after year.”
Mr. Krasner contends that when it comes to marijuana, there has been in the city, for a few years, a forward-looking approach – which was to write citations rather than bring criminal charges – that’s been 90 percent effective.
“What we’re talking about now is the 10 percent or so that are being charged, as they used to be, as misdemeanors, in court. As for that 10 percent, yes, we’re going to tell them to drop any cases that are simply marijuana possession,” Mr. Krasner said.
The District Attorney on Thursday made himself available to the news media to announce a lawsuit against 10 pharmaceutical companies for their role in exacerbating the opioid crisis. At the conclusion of it, Mr. Krasner asserted that there’s a direct correlation between reducing opioid-related deaths and making marijuana available.
Thanks for reading! Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® and I’m Drumming for Justice!™
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