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EASTON, Pa. – Easton City Council approved a resurrected ordinance involving recreational marijuana usage Wednesday night at city hall.
The ordinance, offered by Councilmember Frank Pintabone, states, “the purpose and intent of this article is to promote the general safety and welfare of the public by establishing a mechanism to process the minor nonviolent offenses of personal possession or personal use of small amounts of marijuana and personal possession of marijuana paraphernalia within the City of Easton and not to promote or condone the possession or use of marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia.”
Prior to the vote, Police Chief Carl Scalzo said the ordinance would create problems and confusion when it came to law enforcement activities.
“Obviously, I know I stand in this room tonight in the minority, but in my heart after 32 years in this profession, I don’t think that I’m wrong,” Scalzo said. “I don’t think I need to reiterate all of my concerns as to what I fear this type of process can cause.”
Councilmember Crystal Rose said voting “yes” was the right thing.
“I said this before. I can’t have it on my conscience that someone has a record that prevents them from living a full life just because of something that I can’t believe we’re still talking about,” Rose said.
In the bill, Pintabone defines “small amount” as “30 grams or less of marijuana, or eight grams or less of hashish as set forth” in Pennsylvania law.
“The reason for this bill is not to stain the record of someone for a small amount of marijuana,” Pintabone said during City Council’s Feb. 27 meeting.
The bill defines marijuana as “all forms or varieties of the genus cannabis, whether growing or not,” and personal use as someone who “introduces marijuana into one’s own body, which includes smoking, inhaling, exhaling, vaporizing, or burning any lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe or other such device which contains marijuana or marijuana extracts.”
Pintabone’s legislation also defines personal possession as the “actual physical custody of or the ability to exercise control over or have access to, for the sole purpose of one’s own personal use.” This does not include possession with intent to deliver, distribute, transfer or sell.
The bill also discusses marijuana paraphernalia, which is defined as “any device, instrument, apparatus or object used, intended to be used, or designed to be used for introducing marijuana into the human body or for storing, containing or concealing, or transporting marijuana.”
The bill offers a two-tiered system. An individual caught with marijuana in their possession would receive a $25, $35 and $45 fine for their first, second and third offenses.
Someone caught smoking marijuana in public would receive a first offense $150 fine, a $250 second offense payment, with a third offense resulting in a $300 fine.
The penalty for a violation relating to personal marijuana paraphernalia possession involves a first offense $25 fine, a $35 second offense fine, and a third offense fine of $45.
Subsequent offenses would be the jurisdiction of federal and Pennsylvania laws.
Hologram Zoo pact change
City council approved a modification to a five-year lease agreement involving the city’s headquarters.
The city will rent two ground-floor commercial suites at city hall, located at 123 S. Third St., to Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley.
The venture, which features lifelike holograms of animals and their habitats, is scheduled to operate seven days a week and open before July’s end.
Harshal and Manpreet Patel have licensed the zoo’s technology, which comes from Texas-based Axiom Holographics.
Wednesday night’s legislation provides a sixth-year renewal option to the original contract.
The Hologram Zoo is scheduled to open July 15, according to Pintabone on Wednesday night.
”}]] Prior to the vote, Police Chief Carl Scalzo said the ordinance would create problems and confusion when it came to law enforcement activities. Read More
