[420 Girl]

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 each year. That is the focus of a new report from PhillyNORML, detailing the issue and meetings the group has had with city officials.

Data indicates that 4,716 adults were arrested in 2008 on the singular criminal misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession - less than 30 grams. In Philadelphia such arrests are required to be custodial. For even a single cannabis joint this means an offender must be handcuffed, transported to a holding cell, photographed and perhaps make bail before release. In every other county in Pennsylvania there is no mandate for the custodial arrest of citizens found with small amounts of marijuana. Instead, summary violations are issued along with a date to appear in court.

Philadelphia could save more than $3,000,000 annually by not taking pot smokers in for mugshots and conforming to the rest of the counties’ guidelines on the custodial portion of the misdemeanor charge.

Following a steady dialogue with advocates, Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison convened a meeting of city officials on the issue. PhillyNORML spokesperson Chris Goldstein, supported by local attorney Brad Shuttleworth of Alva & Associates, met with Deputy Police Commissioner William Blackburn, Police Narcotics Division's Tom Snyder and Deputy District Attorney (Trial Division) John Delaney on May 20th 2009. Deputy Mayor Gillison and his staff along with other staffers from the police and DA's office attended the spirited, professional discussion.

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