BECAUSE I GOT HIGH – PHILLY DECRIMINALIZES WEED

SSS rant in 3,2,1….

Marijuana Decriminalization Takes Effect in Philadelphia

Marijuana Decriminalization Takes Effect in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The City of Philadelphia’s new fine structure for handling marijuana possession charges takes effect today.

This will largely stop the procedure of using custodial arrests — handcuffs and holding cells — for small amounts of cannabis. Philadelphia Police will begin issuing civil citations instead — $25 for possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana and $100 fine for smoking in public.

Legislation to enact the policy shift was sponsored by Councilman James Kenney after he spoke with Chris Goldstein, NA Poe and Anne Gemmell of PhillyNORML.

PhillyNORML has been reporting on the disturbing racial disparity of marijuana arrests since 2008. Using data from the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System we found that more than 80% of those arrested were African American. No other crime in the city, including possession of heroin and cocaine, showed this trend.

The were two committee hearings and a full Council session with testimony from members of the public, community groups and advocacy organizations. The full City Council ultimately passed Bill 140377-A in a 14-2 vote. Mayor Michael Nutter was initially resistant to the change, but then he embraced the new policy.

During the official signing of the bill in September Councilman Kenney said:“ We hope young people will be spared the life-altering consequences of a criminal record, such as limited job prospects, inability to obtain student loans or even join the armed services.”

Mayor Nutter commented that, “the punishment needs to be proportionate to the crime, and these are common sense changes that will have a positive impact on many Philadelphians.”

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey has vowed to implement the measure.

PhillyNORML activist and US Marine Corps combat veteran Mike Whiter will receive the first citation on the morning of October 20th.

Whiter negotiated with PPD Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan and Civil Affairs department head Captain Stephen Glenn to engage in the peaceful action. Whiter, an underground medical cannabis patient, wants to demonstrate the proper procedure for both sides during a police encounter.

“I want to symbolically thank Philadelphia now that I can medicate in my city without fear of being thrown in jail and having a criminal record,” said Whiter. “Decriminalization is a huge step, but it is not enough. Pennsylvania desperately needs a medical marijuana program.”

Comedian and activist NA Poe welcomed the change. “The fact that marijuana advocates and the police can work together to find common ground on this issue shows the groundbreaking progress that has been made in our city.”

PhillyNORML co-chair Chris Goldstein said the policy shift is a significant milestone. “We join other cities like Washington DC in dismantling the institutional racism that has been inherent to marijuana prohibition. This is a win-win for cannabis consumers and for the entire city. Few policies can save millions of dollars and serve the cause of social justice. Reducing marijuana penalties does both.”

PhillyNORML is hosting a victory party on Friday October 24, 2014 at The Legendary Dobbs on South Street. Featuring local bands Bong Hits for Jesus, Little War Twins and more along with speeches from activists. The event is a fundraiser for PhillyNORML to work on statewide marijuana decriminalization.

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22 Comments
Billy
Billy
October 20, 2014 8:01 pm

Let’s see…

Negros in Filthadelphia were doing the whole Flash Mob/Rob/Mobile Riot thing… then there’s all the shootings, muggings, rapes, etc… it got so bad, a crew of officers was assigned to massage the statistics re: violent crime, etc, because it was making the city look bad and killing off tourism… Nothing that was tried stemmed the mobs/mini riots/robs, etc… not to mention the “normal” level of crime…

And now we have “decriminalization” of weed… which is mostly smoked by urban negroes anyways…

I’m thinking this is pure bullshit… not the decriminalization – the “official” reasoning behind it. The cops are either incapable of stemming the tide of violence, etc, so this was pushed through.

If they can’t get them to act fucking civil or behave, and arresting them does Jack Shit, then why not let them drug themselves into a stupor? Same result.

Hey you weed smokers! Tell me, how many of you want to go flash mob/rob/rape/mini riot, etc, after smoking a bomber joint?

Stucky
Stucky
October 20, 2014 8:09 pm

About fuckin time.

Only question is; … will Admin be smokin’ a blunt while traveling the 30 Blocks Of Squalor …. will Avalon be baking Mary Jane Brownies (the baked desert, not the neegrow)?

SSS
SSS
October 20, 2014 8:33 pm

Wait a minute. I have always argued for decriminalization of possession of marijuana of a quantity deemed for personal use on this site. This article is all about what I advocate. Fines, not handcuffs.

Legalization, no. Decriminalization, yes. I know that you all agree. Time to show your love.

Pirate Jo
Pirate Jo
October 20, 2014 8:36 pm

Well here’s something to think about.

You could KEEP buying/selling illegal, and just let people grow their own. I mean, it’s a plant.

SSS
SSS
October 20, 2014 8:41 pm

“And now we have “decriminalization” of weed… which is mostly smoked by urban negroes anyways…”
—-Billy

Wrong. Smoking weed is pervasive among upscale whites. THATS who’s funding the legalization of marijuana. Trust me on this one.

SSS
SSS
October 20, 2014 8:48 pm

“You could KEEP buying/selling illegal, and just let people grow their own. I mean, it’s (marijuana) a plant.”
—-Pirate Jo

So is cocaine (coca plants) and heroin (poppies). What’s your point?

EC
EC
October 20, 2014 9:19 pm

Admin don’t miss a beat: we got a movement to apportion some weed for low income folks, so your dream might come true.

Billy
Billy
October 20, 2014 9:20 pm

SSS,

Dude, I don’t give a rat’s ass about who smokes/injects/snorts whatever… not my business. If they want to do that shit in the privacy of their own homes, I really could care less…

I also don’t give a shit who’s allegedly behind this “decriminalization” or what the “Official” line of bilge being fed the peasants is…

Bottom line: Philly has a serious violent crime problem. The crime problem is either being ignored, excused away or the numbers massaged so the reflect the reality the Mayor’s office wants to project. Everything they’ve tried so far has accomplished fuck-all.

Except encouraging the one demographic causing all the trouble to smoke themselves into a stupor.

Anyone want to bet that violent crime takes a nosedive after this? Of course, the “Official” line of bilge will be that better policing did it or magic beans or the underpants gnome…. anything except observing the obvious – the ones making trouble were too stoned to make trouble…

ottomatik
ottomatik
October 20, 2014 10:33 pm

SSS, I know your coming around,Decriminlization is where it starts, that was Denver a decade ago…. NORMAL has a tried and true playbook now. I am so fuckin done with all of the wars our over-bloated State needs to engage in to justify its heinous pilfering existence.
As legalization/ decriminalization spreads, a stark contrast will be realized, between Liberty and Fascism. If the War on Drugs ended tonight, probably not a damn fucking thing would change for 99% of Americans. Except 50% of all Law Enforcement would be superfluous, and the criminal Banksters would lose a juicy revenue stream, and the CIA would lose its foundation for off book funding and recruitment pool for villains. Or in other words a total fuckin disaster for the Feds and their Corporate Cronies and their Muscle.

Westcoaster
Westcoaster
October 20, 2014 10:59 pm

Drug laws are bullshit along with the “war on drugs”. Here in CA all you need do is pay $50-$65 for a yearly pot doctor visit. Most people have some problem weed can help. In a lot of ways cannabis is an “adaptagen” type plant….once ingested it “adapts” to help what’s wrong in your body. This has been proven scientifically. Siberian ginseng does this as well as proven by a Russian study. Cannabis works better in this regard if ingested, not smoked.
The reality in California is that once you have a doctor’s recommendation you can actually have Cannabis delivered to your door, just like a pizza. The reason it was criminalized in the first place is bullshit. Same with other drugs. My Granddad smoked opium in “Opium dens” in San Fran back in 1905. In fact he was there for the great quake. I hope he wasn’t high when it hit. The “war on drugs” has caused our society great needless pain and suffering and has resulted in the police state and tactics many of we TBP’ers want to expose and stop.
All these laws need to be revised and the government should butt-out when it comes to what you can ingest in your body, as most Libertarians agree.

SSS
SSS
October 20, 2014 11:55 pm

“If the War on Drugs ended tonight, ……… the CIA would lose its foundation for off book funding and recruitment pool for villains.”
—-ottomatik

You’re a fucking idiot.

EC
EC
October 21, 2014 12:05 am

I get a thumbs down for pointing out a fact and giving admin credit for being right. Fuckers.

SSS
SSS
October 21, 2014 12:08 am

@ Billy

I agree with your response to me at 9:20 pm.

I merely corrected your 8:01 pm original statement that “And now we have “decriminalization” of weed… which is mostly smoked by urban negroes anyways… ” That’s bullshit. Period.

The vast majority of pot smokers are white. And the vast majority of the funding for the legalization of marijuana comes from white sources.

Anonymous
Anonymous
October 21, 2014 7:31 am

EC, you get thumbs down because you are an asshole.

flash
flash
October 21, 2014 7:48 am

If drugs are decriminalized , how then will the CIA and puppet government fund all the global regime changes that keep the Empire’s killing cogs greased?

The CIA and Drug-Trafficking: Affidavit by Peter Dale Scott

After twenty-five years of research, I have come to believe, as I wrote in 1992, that “governments themselves, and the links they develop with major traffickers, are the key both to the drug-trafficking problem and to its solution.” (4)

The United States Government is by no means the only example of such involvement, but it is the one with the most deleterious impact on its own citizens.

One can see this impact in the efforts in the 1980s by the CIA, and later Oliver North, to arrange for extra-governmental support for the Contras. These arrangements led to documented U.S. government involvement with, and often support to, top-level drug-traffickers in Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama, as well as with domestic traffickers in the states of Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and California. This recurring pattern of involvement with those who dominated the drug traffic cannot be dismissed as an accidental or coincidental aberration.

In a few cases, Contras and their supporters became traffickers after their contact with CIA officers. This was the case with Ricky Ross’s supplier, Danilo Blandon Reyes. The CIA might argue in its defense that Blandon, and others like him, were not traffickers at the time contact was made. But one hears recurring reports that such recruits were given to understand that funds should be raised for the Contras by any means, which was taken to include drug-trafficking. Blandon has testified that he heard this from a leading U.S. protégé in the Contras, Enrique Bermudez. Other, more senior Contra officials are said to have heard the same indirect guidance from at least one high-ranked CIA officer.

It is a matter of record that the CIA has also established contacts with those already known to the U.S. government as major narcotics traffickers. This was the case with Blandon’s supplier, Norwin Meneses, a highly publicized Contra supporter who had been listed as a trafficker in DEA records since the 1970s.

Officials in at least four law enforcement agencies have confirmed that Meneses was untouchable in this country in the era of Contra support. A key illustration of this was the so-called Frogman case in 1983, at that time the largest cocaine seizure ever made on the U.S. West coast.

Although 150 agents and police rounded up members of Meneses’ network, and over thirty of them were ultimately convicted, Meneses himself (so I have been personally told by one of his contacts, a fellow Contra supporter), was warned by law enforcement officials to leave town to escape arrest. Other sources in law enforcement have complained that Meneses was protected for reasons of “national security” (5). The protection given to Meneses was given to other traffickers as well. Jorge Morales in Miami testified under oath that he agreed to fly arms-for-drugs flights for the Contras after he was promised legal protection for them by two Nicaraguans, Marcos Aguado and Octaviano Cesar, who represented themselves to him as CIA agents (6).

dilligaf, who sucks turds
dilligaf, who sucks turds
October 21, 2014 8:03 am

Nice white people bashing. How about you haters try some facts, instead?
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bb
bb
October 21, 2014 8:21 am

EC, if the military draft doesn’t take your children then illegal drugs will.Oh ,lets not forget all the old diseases being carried back into this country. Something going to get your children.

Olga
Olga
October 21, 2014 8:25 am

Being stoned might make this situation more palatable … should anyone manage to take notice.

http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-start-war-and-lose-empire.html

N8
N8
October 21, 2014 8:16 pm

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/21/afghan-opium-poppy-cultivation-all-time-high?CMP=twt_gu

CIA/Us government had nothing to do with this. Move along nothing to see here.

EC
EC
October 21, 2014 8:41 pm

Anonymous says:

EC, you get thumbs down because you are an asshole.

Stuck says I’m a dick, I think your the asshole although I’m not sure, why don’t you hum a few bars?

SSS
SSS
October 23, 2014 12:49 am

“Smoking weed is pervasive among upscale whites. THATS who’s funding the legalization of marijuana.”
—-SSS

Furthermore, 83% of all marijuana smokers are white. Just wanted to get this in before the article drops off the list.

I win again.