Councilman Tables Philly Marijuana Bill, Says Will Seek “Administrative” Measure

Tommy Rowan reports in Metro.us (Philadelphia marijuana bill put on back burner) that Councilman Jim Kenney, after consultation with chief county law enforcement officials and community representatives, will not seek a full council vote on his bill to end mandatory arrest for possession of small amounts of pot in Philadelphia.

The law enforcement officials who advised Kenney that his bill had “holes” are members of Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB), a group “of top-level county officials which address criminal justice issues from a systemic and policy level perspective,” according to Pennsylvania’s website on the initiative, which details the groups’ makeup as including “top- level representatives of the courts, corrections, law enforcement, community-based organizations, executive branch of government, health and human service agencies, victims’ services agencies, and the business and faith communities. CJABs are frequently designated as the primary point of contact with the commonwealth and the federal government for criminal justice matters.”