Law enforcement officials offer perspectives over Wolf’s decriminalization comments
While Gov. Tom Wolf recently said Pennsylvania needs to systematically decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, local law enforcement officials said until the law changes, they’ll still consider pot possession against the law.
“As police, our job is simple: to enforce the laws as they exist,” said John Hartman, chief of Southwest Regional Police Department, which covers municipalities in Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene counties. “We’re not policy makers, we don’t have a vote, the laws are handed down to us, and we enforce them.”
Hartman said when it comes to commenting on social issues, he believes those answers are best left to social scientists, law makers and the ones with the real power: the people.
“What’s important about this issue is what the citizens want,” Hartman said. “We do whatever they want us to do. We serve the citizens.”
In comments made late last month, Wolf said that some municipalities have stopped arresting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
“I think it’s a dangerous idea,” said Rostraver Township Police Chief Greg Resetar. “Drugs are illegal because they’re dangerous.”
While Resetar was unaware of Wolf’s statement, he years of experience in law enforcement make him wary of decriminalizing possession of a small amount of pot.
“I think any legalization of drugs would increase its use and lead to more experimentation by youth,” Resetar said. “Marijuana has always been a gateway drug and always will be.”
Wolf also said that the state should act because too many people are still going to prison for marijuana possession and that’s clogging up prisons and hurting families.
Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox said she doesn’t believe the sentencing provisions are outrageous. The maximum fine for possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use is 30 days in prison and a fine up to $500, she said.
As with all cases, Fox said prosecutors look at and apply the sentencing guidelines, and look at the circumstances of the crime to determine how the case will be resolved.
She said people who normally do prison time for marijuana-related crimes are those either possessing or selling it in large amounts.
While Fox said there is much discussion about marijuana legalization across the country, the epidemic that’s currently happening in many communities trumps those discussions.
“I think law enforcement and most of us are more concerned with opioid addiction at this time than anything else,” Fox said. “I’m more interested in people who sell heroin and are drug addicts who steal and commit armed robberies.”
Resetar noted that the number of cases of drug-using drivers is catching up to the number of drunken drivers.
He added that drug-related DUI cases result in multiple screening panels for drug testing, which is considerably more expensive that detecting alcohol in a person’s system.
“We have to pay for that,” Resetar said.
Beyond the financial costs, Resetar said when looking at statistics about deaths caused by legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco, he wonders why anyone would want to legalize another potential vice.
Wolf stopped short of endorsing the kind of full legalization of recreational pot use that’s taken place in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
In April, Wolf signed legislation legalizing a medical marijuana program in Pennsylvania. The Department of Health says it’ll take until early 2018 to make medical marijuana available to eligible patients.
While Resetar said he doesn’t have an issue with legal use of medical marijuana, he said he doesn’t see how legalizing recreational marijuana would solve any problems.
Resetar said that dealers will still be involved with crimes and violence, more addicts will be created and those addicts will still resort to crime to get their fix.
“How does that solve our problem?” Resetar said. “It doesn’t.”