Highly Anticipated: Pittsburgh City Council Cuts Punishment on Possession of Marijuana

It was all smiles as the final meeting of the 2015 session for the Pittsburgh City Council drew to a close last Monday. In a yet unprecedented decision in the Allegheny County, the council approved a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The bill allows police to enforce a fine of up to one hundred dollars on those who were found carrying less than 30 grams of unprocessed marijuana or 8 grams of the more chemically potent hashish. This is keeping with the trend of further decriminalizing marijuana that has been observed in the motions made by city councils all across the country.

The marijuana decriminalization bill passed by a vote of 7 to 2. It was penned by councilman Daniel Lavelle, who expressed the hope that the bill would be instrumental in reducing the number of police incidents that were centered around the recreational substance. Another councilman told reporters that the passing of the bill was a response to the long overdue reduction of punishment on this now common activity, and that the general public sentiment seemed to reflect the idea that charging a misdemeanor for holding small amounts of illicit substances is not prudent.

The decriminalization of marijuana has been a prominent political trend within the last few years. Many states have experimented with the legalization of marijuana for medical treatment purposes, generally with the caveat that participants in medical programs must attain a prescription from a licensed doctor. Other states, including Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, have even opted to completely legalize the substance for all types of usage, including recreational use. In these places, marijuana use generally follow the guidelines set by local liquor or tobacco laws.

States cite different motivations for legalizing marijuana. Some tout its numerous medical usages, as it has been shown to reduce pain levels in subjects suffering from conditions as diverse as arthritis and glaucoma. Others say that the underground trade of marijuana is nigh impossible to pretend anyway, which means legalization is the only way to ensure that the practice is safe and free from corruption. It doesn’t hurt that municipalities get a handy bit of extra sales tax revenue, of course.

Still, marijuana legalization is a divisive issue, and even bills aimed at decriminalizing the substance have their detractors. This debate will surely appear in the upcoming elections, and in the term beyond that.