LYNNE ABRAHAM'S COSTLY REEFER MADNESS

The Ex-D.A.'S Drug Demagoguery Made for Bad Policy.

In recent testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, former
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham displayed dangerous
ignorance about America's marijuana market, engaged in bombastic
Reefer Madness rhetoric, and made demeaning generalizations about
marijuana users.

The truth is that countless area residents choose cannabis for
medical therapy or as a form of recreation that's safer than
drinking. They are otherwise law-abiding citizens who represent every
neighborhood, class, ethnicity, and walk of life.

Abraham also implied that local marijuana consumers are funding
cartels. But much of the pot consumed in the United States,
particularly in the Northeast, is grown within the country.

Most of those who consume cannabis and believe in ending its
prohibition are hardworking, freedom-loving Americans. This month,
more than 1,200 peaceful marijuana consumers marched on South Street
with a police escort. There was absolutely no violence, and there
were no arrests. Similar events took place in Seattle, Boston, and
hundreds of other cities on the same day, offering a striking
contrast to Abraham's offensive statements.

Abraham made her comments in response to a decision by her successor,
Seth Williams, to treat possession of small amounts of marijuana as a
minor offense, moving such cases out of the criminal courts. This is
a pragmatic, procedural shift that was supported by other city
officials and the state Supreme Court. It is not marijuana
legalization, as Abraham claimed, or even the decriminalization that
has happened in other states and cities. It simply aligns
Philadelphia's procedures with those in the rest of Pennsylvania.

We at the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) analyzed the city's 2008 arrest data
and found that its approach to marijuana offenses was unique and
expensive. We estimated that minor pot cases cost the city $3 million
that year and almost certainly contributed to the clogging of the
city courts. Under Abraham, the enforcement of laws against minor pot
possession had become harsher and more costly than in any other
municipality in Pennsylvania.

Abraham was right when she said there are some who will applaud
Williams' decision, but they aren't the "local gangs" and "drug
cartels" she mentioned. A Philly.com poll in April found that more
than 90 percent of those who responded were in favor of the new
policy. So the new city slogan Abraham coined - "Welcome to
Philadelphia, Light Up a Joint" - may indeed prove accurate.

The poll result suggested that many non-consumers of marijuana
welcome the change, too. Few residents want to spend the city's
precious resources on minor marijuana offenses during the worst
recession in memory. Williams' procedural shift could increase the
justice system's efficiency and humanity while saving millions. In
short, it makes sense for the city.

Abraham's mischaracterizations of marijuana consumers were gross and
out of touch. Many social justice and civil rights achievements have
had to overcome such stereotypes and falsehoods. If Abraham held
these almost fanatical views while in office, it's no wonder the city
ended up with such bad policy.

We at PhillyNORML are working every day to change the law and end
marijuana prohibition, which is now a subject of healthy debate
locally and nationwide. The marijuana consumers of Philadelphia hope
Lynne Abraham will reconsider her derogatory statements after
conducting some genuine research.