On Wednesday, January 17th, Erie City Council passed an ordinance stating the possession of 30 grams of marijuana or less, and drug paraphernalia, is now a summary offense instead of a misdemeanor, under certain conditions.

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The ordinance which was introduced by City Councilman Bob Merski in November, 2017, has officially been put into place for the city of Erie.In November, City Council gave approval for Solicitor Greg Karle’s office to draft the ordinance in a 7-0 vote. The model proposed resembles one already in place in State College.

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The ordinance had to pass two readings from the City Council. The first reading took place on January 3rd, with the second reading on January 17th. The ordinance is also supported by Mayor Joe Schember who attended the meeting on Wednesday.  

The ordinance is meant to help otherwise law abiding citizens who may have messed up. The ordinance proposes fines of $25 for each possession offense and $100 for smoking marijuana in public or other possession of drug paraphernalia. It allows courts to use their discretion to suspend fines.

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Councilman Bob Merski stated, “I want people to understand that decriminalization doesn’t mean it’s a free for all”. Merski’s comment is backed up by the fact that the ordinance out lines that if a possession charge is made along with other misdemeanors or felonies,regardless of the amount, it must still be charged as a misdemeanor. The goal of the ordinance is to make penalties lesser charges so they do not prohibit community members from job opportunities, receiving federal financial aid for college or joining the military . Previously the penalty for possession of 30 grams or less was a fine of $500, 30 days incarceration and a record with a misdemeanor

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According to Pennsylvania’s Uniform Crime Reporting System, Erie police filed 140 charges of marijuana possession in 2017. This new law would save time and money for city police, allowing them to focus on more pressing matters. In 2013 the American Civil Liberties Union published a study entitled “The War On Marijuana In Black and White”. Which stated that approximately $3.6 Billion was spent on Law Enforcement of marijuana.

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The new ordinance has excited the local community, along with Pennsylvania's Auditor General General Eugene gave the Erie City Council’s high commendation. He stated, “Erie City Council’s vote to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana is responsible and just. The time has long past for Pennsylvania in its entirety to cease treating the possession of a small amount of weed as a criminal offense...Congratulations to Erie for doing the right thing. I urge other municipalities – and ultimately the entire commonwealth – to do the same”.