Philly Changed Pot Policy, Life Has Continued as Normal

Last year, the city of Philadelphia took a progressive step in the War Against Drugs. They started punishing citizens found with under 30 grams of pot with a $25 ticket instead of an arrest. Now that some time has elapsed since the policy went into effect, it’s possible to get some perspective on the matter. Interestingly, while you might think that officers have been doing nothing but writing tickets left and right, this hasn’t been the case.

It’s been more love and fewer arrests in Philadelphia since the city changed their policy on pot. (Flikr CC: vic15)

Conservative citizens and interest groups predicted sheer Reefer Madness (watch the movie!), with pot-smoking criminals taking their joints, pipes, and vapes to the street, and all other sorts of gloom and doom. As is usually the case with any form of fear mongering, none of this has come to pass. According to Tricia L. Nadolny of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Upworthy), marijuana arrests have fallen by 75% since the change in policy went into effect. In fact, there have been fewer interactions between citizens and police regarding marijuana overall. You might think that this is because cops are writing heaps of tickets instead, but this isn’t the case – arrests and citations put together are still 42 percent below the total number of arrests made last year during the same time period, which experts say has to do with lessening interest by police officers in issuing pot-related punishments.

Philadelphia is part of a growing national trend when it comes to alternative treatment of those who use marijuana. New York City began decriminalizing small amounts of pot last year, and other cities, such as Gloucester, Massachusetts, have begun focusing on getting drug addicts into treatment rather than into prison.