READING, Pa.- Two marijuana-related proposals are now on the table in the City of Reading. One is a resolution asking Pennsylvania lawmakers to legalize recreational marijuana statewide.
The other is a proposed ordinance that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana locally, specifically, 30 grams or less.
Councilman Jaime Baez, who introduced the ordinance, says the goal is to stop penalizing residents for minor offenses.
“It would stop penalizing not only our youth, but our residents. And stop putting them through loopholes, through an ARD program that really, I think, hinders our residents,” Baez said.
Baez says Reading is behind when it comes to marijuana policy, pointing to neighboring cities and states that have already made changes.
“We’ve got 20-plus municipalities who have passed this in the state of Pennsylvania,” Baez said. “We have our neighboring states that have already decriminalized amounts of marijuana.”
But not everyone on council is on board. Council President Donna Reed raised concerns about the impact on city operations.
“This ordinance would require restructuring, to some degree, of how we do things. And there’s always a monetary cost to that, there’s always a personnel cost to that,” Reed said. “And I think right now it’s inappropriate, and I certainly could not possibly support it.”
Reed also questioned what the ordinance would mean for enforcement, especially in a region with many municipalities.
“Think of where we’re sitting here. You go over the bridge, the law is different in West Reading,” Reed said. “It confuses all of our folks as to what is okay and where is it okay. It’s much better if it was a county-wide situation where everyone got together on the same page.”
The resolution supporting statewide legalization could pass right away. The local ordinance will need to go through the full council process before any final vote.