Two months after voting against it, the City of Easton is revisiting a law decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.
The proposal, brought forth by Councilman Frank Pintabone, would treat possession of a small amount of marijuana as a summary offense rather than a misdemeanor. The offense would also not exist on the individual’s criminal record.
Pintabone said this would make the punishment fair and equitable, and it would not prevent individuals from housing or employment opportunities.
According to the ordinance, if someone is caught with a small amount of marijuana, the fine would be $25 for the first offense, $35 for the second offense, and $45 for the third.
Should someone be caught smoking it, the fine would be $150 for the first offense, $250 for the second and $300 for the third. After the third offense, it would move up to the Northampton County Court.
Under current Pennsylvania law, when someone is caught with a small amount of marijuana (less than 30 grams of marijuana or 8 grams of hashish), they face a misdemeanor charge. Upon conviction, the penalty is a fine of up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail.
Additionally, the conviction remains on their record.
In March, Mayor Sal Panto Jr, Vice Mayor Ken Brown and Councilman Roger Ruggles voted against the ordinance. Pintabone, Councilwoman Crystal Rose and Councilman James Edinger voted in favor of it.
At the time, Taiba Sultana chose to abstain. She said a concern was brought to her attention, and she requested to table the ordinance so she could investigate the concern.
On Wednesday, the three council members who voted “no” remained opposed, mainly due to the state law that is already in place. Ruggles said there is a chance Easton police could still follow state law when enforcing marijuana usage.
“My concern is, anybody who sees Easton passing this bill and saying, ‘Oh, now I can have a small amount of marijuana in Easton and I only get a summary offense,’” he said. “All of a sudden they get arrested and they get charged with the state offense. I don’t want people to get a false sense of security.”
Pintabone said numerous Easton officers he spoke to were in favor of the ordinance. Chief of Easton Police Carl Scalzo Jr. has previously stated that an ordinance that contradicts state law could create confusion for officers.
“If we want to change something in the state of Pennsylvania that’s already addressed in law, then that argument should be made, and then go through that process of changing that law,” he said previously.
Brown said this ordinance could set a precedent on increased marijuana usage, especially in public.
“All it takes is one person, and then people will follow,” he said.
Members of the public came to speak in favor of the ordinance. Resident Dominic Trabosci said it is “common sense,” and said people’s employment and house-buying opportunities should not be prevented by marijuana possession.
“We all know this is a time where it’s already very hard for people to find a home or get a job,” he said.
Joe Welsh, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute, said other municipalities in Pennsylvania have passed similar ordinances. He added that minor marijuana charges consume court and law enforcement resources that could be better used to address other crimes.
“If you do vote ‘no,’ your constituents can continue to suffer needlessly, and you divert taxpayer money away from stopping real crime,” he said.
City council will vote on the ordinance at their next meeting on June 11. The meeting will be held at the Easton Neighborhood Center at 6 p.m.
Chelsea McClure can be reached at cmcclure@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on instagram at @chelsealehighvalley.
The proposal would reduce penalties for small amounts of marijuana to a summary offense with fines starting at $25. Read More
