A Week of Weed Wackiness and Wonder (for the Wealthy)
On Election Day, New Jersey voters legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. The next day, Delaware County Council unanimously approved making the possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana a public health violation that could result in a $50 fine. The day after that, a group of guys in Chester were arrested, having been caught with a few pounds of weed (and some guns).
You might think that, pretty soon, such drug busts could be a thing of the past. There would be no need for local, self-employed marijuana distributors if a consumer could hop a ride across the Commodore Barry Bridge and buy weed legally at a dispensary in New Jersey. When that consumer gets back home to Delco and lights up a blunt on the corner, the police would merely issue them a citation — and maybe a $50 fine — avoiding all the court processing and criminal charges.
If it were only that simple.
In places that have already legalized weed, street sales of marijuana haven’t ceased. Weed can be bought more cheaply on the street, and your local entrepreneur still enjoys earning money. And don’t forget, even where the possession of small amounts of weed has been decriminalized, the crew that prefers to smoke in public on the streets will get far more summonses and fines than the crew that prefers to sit at home and smoke.
One thing is for sure, America has yet to substantially uplift the communities most harmed by the country’s devastating war on drugs. New Jersey did go the extra mile by appointing Dianna Houenou, a Black lady with an extensive background in criminal justice reform, to head the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Governor Phil Murphy has charged her with leading New Jersey’s effort to create a marketplace for recreational marijuana that is equitable, fair, and inclusive of all communities.
I don’t think it’s a secret that white business owners and large corporations have disproportionately benefited from cannabis reform so far, prompting concerns about what the future of marijuana legalization holds for the Black and Latinx communities that suffered the most from America’s punitive drug policies. The lack of equal access to capital and political influencers helps corporations and out-of-state operators dominate markets, while many small businesses miss out.
Here in Chester, Exton-based Agronomed Pharmaceuticals is opening Agri-Kind LLC, a commercial medical marijuana facility, on the 100 block of Broomall Street. It has plans for a Norris Street dispensary to serve a separate clinical research project. And Agronomed Biologic is working toward a 70,000-square-foot grow processor facility at Eighth and Hinkson streets. Obtaining a marijuana license is practically impossible without multi-million dollar investors.
As for decriminalization, Delaware County Council has a well-thought-out approach. As council member Kevin Madden said after the vote,
We now have over 40 years of evidence that shows that the war on drugs isn’t working, not in its current state. We’ve seen that making a substance illegal doesn’t stop people from using it. It wrecks their lives. It doubles down on the negative impacts of the substance itself by harming their prospects of employment and education.
Council Member Elaine Schaefer said,
Consequences of this minor infraction far outweigh what the actual harm is. There can be lifelong consequences for people that disproportionately affect people of color. Clearly, there is a systemic racism at play that this ordinance helps to address.
The council promises that revenue from fines issued for possession will fund new or existing drug or alcohol abuse treatment and prevention programs. If that’s the case, I’d like to take a moment to direct County Council’s attention to the Boys and Girls Club of Chester, which hosts a “Drug Free Communities” initiative focused on addressing teen alcohol and marijuana use. This organization is part of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, and I’m on its board. I’d love to show you the work we’re doing and have you consider helping fund our efforts.
As far as the drug bust in Chester where the guys got caught with a few pounds of weed, I must commend the Chester police. They encountered some guys hanging out and checked things out. The police smelled weed.
One guy ran. Guess what? He was apprehended. The others drove off. Guess what? They were apprehended. As much as that seems like a routine interaction between police and criminals, we’ve seen too often what can happen when people run from the law. Kudos, Chester police force, for how you handled that situation.
Marijuana is big business, and it is fast becoming less illegal. Let’s strive to be smart about how we make it available, how we use it, how we legislate it, how we educate people about it, and how we spend the money it brings in. Here in Chester, we could use every penny of that money we can get.
Stefan Roots blogs at Chester Matters.
