The Easton City Council will vote on an ordinance presented by member Frank Pintabone on Feb. 26 that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana if passed.
If the council approves the ordinance, possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana will no longer be put on offenders’ permanent records. Instead, offenders would face a fine that increases with multiple offenses. After a fourth offense, the defendant would be arrested and face possession of a drug offense on their criminal record.
Pintabone said he feels that decriminalizing possession of small amounts will help protect the lower-income neighborhoods of Easton, where residents are unable to purchase medical cards, resulting in higher rates of drug possession charges in areas such as Easton’s West Ward.
“Someone who doesn’t have the means to purchase a medical card, this offense is on their record for the rest of their life,” said Pintabone, explaining that more affluent community members can afford a medical card that allows them to legally possess marijuana for medical purposes.
“The current laws disproportionately attack poor people and minorities, and I just don’t agree with that,” he continued.
Dozens of residents supported Pintabone on a Feb. 14 Facebook livestream discussing the ordinance with residents.
Pintabone explained that seven municipalities in Pennsylvania have already decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, including nearby Bethlehem and Allentown. He also cited Easton’s proximity to New Jersey, where marijuana is legal.
Approximately 70% of dispensary sales in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, come from Pennsylvania residents, according to Pintabone, and Easton residents often have medical cards allowing the legal purchase of medical marijuana.
He has been working on this ordinance for the last four months, speaking to distinct attorneys, police chiefs, council members, nonprofit groups, lawyers, judges and Easton city solicitors to craft his legislation.
Lance Wheeler, an Easton community activist and candidate for city council, opposed the ordinance.
According to Wheeler, residents of Easton’s West Ward and South Side are targeted by police, not because they do not own a medical card, but because they are often profiled by their race and economic status, an issue that would not disappear if marijuana was decriminalized.
“I wouldn’t want to see it decriminalized until it becomes a federal or statewide mandate,” Wheeler said. “We don’t need our young kids, now that marijuana is decriminalized, walking around our city smoking freely. It will be a smaller offense, depending on who the person is and what color you are.”
Having or not having a medical card makes no difference for minority groups who are targeted by police, according to Wheeler.
A similar ordinance was presented to Easton’s City Council in 2018 and was voted down 4-3.
“I’m not going to speak for council, but I’m confident I have the votes,” Pintabone said. “I can’t speak for what the council did or didn’t do before. It’s a different time. We have some different people on the board. We need to move forward.”
Easton Mayor Sal Panto was unavailable for comment. Sandra Rogers, the assistant director of Public Safety, declined to comment.
