Chester County PA Marijuana Update

Opposition to Legalized Marijuana

In response to groups and even legal representatives in Pennsylvania ( in particularly the suburban Philadelphia counties of Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks) to the legalization of marijuana, an intense opposition exists, especially in the republican controlled Governor’s Mansion and in the Republican controlled Assembly and State Senate.

Many politicians have voiced the reasoning behind continued criminalization of marijuana, including the prosecution of adults and college students for marijuana crimes (ie.  the continued prosecution in Chester County of West Chester University students with Possession of Marijuana Possession and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia following a “routine” stop on the streets of West Chester on a busy weekend night.  Often the reasoning behind tough marijuana possession charges for college students and other adults is the believe that marijuana is a gateway drug.

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Contact Ciccarelli Law Offices if you or a loved on is facing criminal charges, arrest or citations for possession of Marijuana or Pot in suburban Philadelphia including Chester County (West Chester PA), Delaware County, Lancaster County, Montgomery County.  Contact us by EMAIL or call an experienced Chester County Marijuana Possession Attorney at Ciccarelli Law Offices at (610) 692-8700 or (877) 529-2422.

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“I don’t need a study to tell me marijuana is a gateway drug. I see it every day,” Cumberland County District Attorney David J. Freed said. “We in law enforcement have to clean up the mess.”  Another prosecutor from Dauphin County (Harrisburg PA) claims the other concern is that more people driving under the influence.  And in fact, Pennsylvania has an incredibly tough driving after imbibing law as it pertains to marijuana use that allows a driver to be arrested and convicted for a DUI as a result of trace amounts of marijuana that may have been ingested days or more prior to the vehicular stop.

In 2009, about 2.3 million people over the age of 12 tried pot, while about 617,000 tried cocaine and about 180,000 tried heroin, according to the study.  However, the US HHS report showed that first-time marijuana use far outnumbered that of first-time heroin and cocaine use.

“The current arguments (against legalization) are invalid,” said Derek Rosenzweig, cofounder of Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana and spokesman for the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “There are so many reasons to go forward with it.”  Rosenzweig and others believe legalizing weed would bring the state millions in tax revenue, reduce law enforcement costs and bring in more tourism dollars.

“It would engender a better relationship between law enforcement and the general public,” he said. “People can be secure in the fact they’re not doing anything illegal.”

In Pennsylvania, a change in the law would have to come from the Legislature, unlike other states such as Colorado and Washington which permit citizen-initiated referendums.

Possession of a small amount of marijuana — defined as less than 30 grams — is a misdemeanor in Pennsylvania. Penalties are up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

“I do take a hard line on major dealers and manufacturers for two reasons,” he said. “Drug dealing, any drug, is inherently violent activity.”

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