Lynne Abraham's costly reefer madness
In recent testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham displayed dangerous ignorance about America's marijuana market, engaged in bombastic Reefer Madness rhetoric, and made demeaning generalizations about marijuana users.
The truth is that countless area residents choose cannabis for medical therapy or as a form of recreation that's safer than drinking. They are otherwise law-abiding citizens who represent every neighborhood, class, ethnicity, and walk of life.
Abraham also implied that local marijuana consumers are funding cartels. But much of the pot consumed in the United States, particularly in the Northeast, is grown within the country.
Most of those who consume cannabis and believe in ending its prohibition are hardworking, freedom-loving Americans. This month, more than 1,200 peaceful marijuana consumers marched on South Street with a police escort. There was absolutely no violence, and there were no arrests. Similar events took place in Seattle, Boston, and hundreds of other cities on the same day, offering a striking contrast to Abraham's offensive statements.
Abraham made her comments in response to a decision by her successor, Seth Williams, to treat possession of small amounts of marijuana as a minor offense, moving such cases out of the criminal courts. This is a pragmatic, procedural shift that was supported by other city officials and the state Supreme Court. It is not marijuana legalization, as Abraham claimed, or even the decriminalization that has happened in other states and cities. It simply aligns Philadelphia's procedures with those in the rest of Pennsylvania.
We at the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) analyzed the city's 2008 arrest data and found that its approach to marijuana offenses was unique and expensive. We estimated that minor pot cases cost the city $3 million that year and almost certainly contributed to the clogging of the city courts. Under Abraham, the enforcement of laws against minor pot possession had become harsher and more costly than in any other municipality in Pennsylvania.
Abraham was right when she said there are some who will applaud Williams' decision, but they aren't the "local gangs" and "drug cartels" she mentioned. A Philly.com poll in April found that more than 90 percent of those who responded were in favor of the new policy. So the new city slogan Abraham coined - "Welcome to Philadelphia, Light Up a Joint" - may indeed prove accurate.
The poll result suggested that many non-consumers of marijuana welcome the change, too. Few residents want to spend the city's precious resources on minor marijuana offenses during the worst recession in memory. Williams' procedural shift could increase the justice system's efficiency and humanity while saving millions. In short, it makes sense for the city.
Abraham's mischaracterizations of marijuana consumers were gross and out of touch. Many social justice and civil rights achievements have had to overcome such stereotypes and falsehoods. If Abraham held these almost fanatical views while in office, it's no wonder the city ended up with such bad policy.
We at PhillyNORML are working every day to change the law and end marijuana prohibition, which is now a subject of healthy debate locally and nationwide. The marijuana consumers of Philadelphia hope Lynne Abraham will reconsider her derogatory statements after conducting some genuine research.
Read more at www.philly.com
