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<p>At a legislative committee meeting Thursday, Wilkes-Barre resident Matthew Ford encouraged Luzerne County officials to get involved in efforts to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.</p><p>&#8220;The worst thing we could do for (drug offenders) is alienate them from the herd. We want to bring them into the fold,&#8221; said Ford, who was among several at the meeting advocating for decriminalization, which would give police departments in the county the option to impose fines instead of a misdemeanor criminal charge.</p><p>Ford said a misdemeanor charge can put a &#8220;black mark&#8221; on offenders, preventing them from obtaining jobs and &#8220;participating in society.&#8221;</p><p>The subject came up because Councilman Edward Brominski had proposed a county-wide decriminalization ordinance mirrored after similar ones in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, although he did not attend Tuesday&#8217;s legislative committee to participate in the discussion.</p><p>Brominski said Thursday he missed the meeting because county assistant Solicitor Shannon Crake had issued an opinion that the county didn&#8217;t have legal authority to impose such an ordinance, leaving him with the impression the effort was futile.</p><p>After hearing feedback from some attendees, Brominski asked the county law office for a second opinion and said he will, at minimum, honor a request from Ford and others to push for continued discussion and passage of a county resolution supporting state decriminalization legislation.</p><p>State Rep. Ed Gainey, D-Allegheny County, recently announced he will be introducing a decriminalization bill that would amend the state&#8217;s Controlled Substances Act to grade possession of a small amount of marijuana as a summary offense instead of a misdemeanor, eliminating &#8220;wasteful court proceedings.&#8221;</p><p>Crake said Tuesday she does not believe the county has jurisdiction to supersede state law, which classifies the possession of up to 30 grams (about an ounce) of marijuana as a misdemeanor offense, carrying a maximum of 30 days in jail and/or $500 in fines.</p><p>The county council also has no authority to tell municipal police departments throughout the county they &#8220;can no longer arrest for this offense,&#8221; Crake said. The state law governing the formation of home rule counties, including Luzerne, also says home rule entities don&#8217;t have authority to define penalties for misdemeanors or felonies, she said.</p><p>In response to an argument that the proposed county ordinance would reduce prison overcrowding, Crake said recent analysis showed there were no offenders lodged in the county prison solely on a small marijuana possession charge.</p><p>Crake said the concept of decriminalization has &#8220;merit&#8221; because it would free up police and prosecutors to spend more time on more serious cases.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just we don&#8217;t have the authority to do it,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Reading resident Les Stark, who heads the Keystone Cannabis Coalition, respectfully challenged Crake&#8217;s legal opinion Tuesday, saying the ordinance would not supersede state law because it would give police an option &#8212; not a mandate &#8212; to charge small marijuana possession as a summary offense.</p><p>Officials in Harrisburg and State College also are discussing decriminalization ordinances, and Wilkes-Barre officials may address it now that they have decriminalized possession of marijuana paraphernalia, Stark said.</p><p>A misdemeanor offense is a &#8220;big deal&#8221; because it could lead to the loss of job opportunities, government grants, housing and college loans, he said. A county resolution supporting Gainey&#8217;s upcoming legislation would help because the &#8220;wheels of state government turn very slow,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Carl Romanelli, of Wilkes-Barre, requested educated and objective discussion on the topic.</p><p>&#8220;We have to bury all of the propaganda and lies we&#8217;ve been fed for years,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Jeff Zick, of Susquehanna County, applauded county officials for &#8220;taking up this issue.&#8221;</p><p>Bill Dennis, of Kingston, said he worked at a local emergency room for 31 years before retiring two weeks ago and had dealt with a steady stream of drug overdoses, but saw no deaths or accidents caused by marijuana.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Citizens push for marijuana decriminalization in Luzerne County