Philadelphia Could Save $3 Million By Relaxing Marijuana Laws

Nov. 17, 2009 — Due to the strict marijuana possession laws in Philadelphia, an inordinate amount of money is spent dealing with arrests for marijuana possession, a part of which is taking mugshots of those arrested. PhillyNORML is attempting to relax the strict marijuana laws, which would result in multi-million dollar savings for the city.

City Officials Consider Policy Change, Gain 3 Million in Budget Savings
November 17, 2009 – by Chris Goldstein, Communications Director, and Derek Rosenzweig, Secretary of PhillyNORML

Philadelphia could save more than $3,000,000 annually by not taking pot smokers in for mugshots

Minor marijuana possession arrests in Philadelphia are handled with mandatory custody; this is a different process than every other county in Pennsylvania costing the city millions of dollars. A disproportionate number of citizens (84%) arrested for marijuana possession in the city are black.

Read the full story at PhillyNORML.org.