D.A.: Philly's new pot policy just makes sense ... and saves dollars

[onehandle]

LYNNE ABRAHAM doesn't get it. She didn't get it when she was Philadelphia's district attorney from 1991 until last year.

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Her view is that people who smoke marijuana - by far the most widely used illicit drug in the United States - are violent deviants, roaming Philly's streets with deadly weapons, killing witnesses and committing "untold numbers of crimes" to support their habit.

snip...

Williams, who replaced Abraham as district attorney in January 2010, has saved an estimated $2 million in the past year by diverting thousands of marijuana-possession cases into a new program that processes pot smokers quickly and leaves them with a clean record.

'Smarter way' The Small Amount of Marijuana (SAM) program, which Williams implemented in June 2010, frees up prosecutors to concentrate on more serious crimes by treating arrests for marijuana possession of up to 30 grams - slightly more than an ounce - as a summary offense, rather than a misdemeanor. The misdemeanor charge carried a maximum penalty of 30 days' probation or jail time and a $500 fine.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-08/news/29750680_1_marijuana-offenders-new-pot-policy-drug-abuse

[BumRushDaShow]

1. K&R

Thank goodness Abraham is gone! Seth has rolled up his sleeves and is cleaning out the mess that she left.

:kick:

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. She was DA for 20 years?

I am assuming this isn't an elected position there.

Congrats Philly for hiring someone with sense!