Philadelphia’s new DA is dropping cannabis cases, following the national trend

Philadelphias+new+DA+is+dropping+cannabis+cases%2C+following+the+national+trend

District Attorney Larry Krasner is dropping all current and future cannabis possession cases. He told reporters he felt it was the right thing to do, given his office’s resources could be better used to prosecute more serious matters.

Although most people who are caught with small amounts of cannabis in Philadelphia merely receive citations, some are still being charged with misdemeanors. These are the cases he’s looking to drop.

“We are going to tell them, yes, drop any cases that are simply marijuana possession,” Krasner said at a press conference on Thursday.

In 2014, the mayor of Philadelphia gave police officers the option to issue citations instead of arresting people for cannabis possession. Still, one in 10 people stopped are still being arrested, charged and prosecuted for possession.

The new policy issued by Krasner, who took office last month, will not prevent people from being arrested, however. If someone is arrested for possession a small amount of cannabis, then charged, those charges would be dropped immediately.

Other cities who have dropped small possession cases include Houston and Brooklyn. In cities where cannabis is legal for adults to purchase and use, such as San Fransisco, some policies are retroactively removing charges from people’s records.