Possession of weeds in Easton may no longer be an offense. Vote expected next week.

Councilor Easton, Frank Pintabone, aims to have small amounts of marijuana similar to a traffic ticket.

Under Pintabone’s proposal, holding a small amount of marijuana would no longer be an offense in The city of Easton. Instead, they would have treated as a summary offense.

Currently, when someone is caught with a small amount of marijuana, he receives a fine of $ 25, and the crime remains in their records as a drug sentence. Pintabone said this could have a negative impact on future employment, housing and licensing opportunities.

In his proposal, if someone is caught with a small amount of marijuana, the fine would be $ 25 for the first crime, $ 35 for the second crime and $ 45 for the third.

If someone caught smoking it, the fine would be $ 150 for the first crime, $ 250 for the second and $ 300 for the third. After the third crime, the Northampton County Court would move to the Northampton Court.

He said that the growth of fines would act as a discouragement element, preventing residents from committing the crime.

Pintabone said that his proposal does not legalize marijuana, but addresses the impact of marijuana convictions on vulnerable populations. He said that, despite similar rates of marijuana consumption in racial groups, people of color are arrested for offenses related to marijuana four times higher than the white rate.

“The purpose is to make the punishment fair to everyone,” Pintabone explained.

Pintabone’s research found that 17 municipalities in Pennsylvania, including AllentownLancaster and Pittsburgh, decriminalized marijuana. In these areas, the possession of marijuana is treated as a summary offense with minimal consequences.

Based on a survey of January 2025, with 1,129 residents, 85% of Democrats, 62% of independents and 53% of Republicans are in favor of marijuana decriminalization in Pennsylvania.

Councilor Taiba Sultana praised Pintabone for his work on the proposal, saying that this should have been done “years ago”.

“He really hurts his community and will help our officers. It will be fast – give a ticket and let him leave, ”she said. “There is a much worse crime. Anyway it shouldn’t be a crime. ”

Councilor James Ederger expressed his support.

“I see it more as the ability to intervene and without completely cheating on some children,” he said.

The head of Easton Police, Carl Scalzo, expressed concern about the proposal. He said that the introduction of a local policy that contradicts the law of the state could create confusion for the police and lead to inconsistent application.

“We have ordinances, and the ordinances are usually used to address areas and communities such as ours that are not approached in accordance with the federal or state status,” said Scalzo. “But in this case, this is not. This is actually something that is already approached on the basis of state status. If we want to change something in the state of Pennsylvania, which is already addressed in law, then this argument should be made, then to go through that process of changing this law. “

Prosecutor Easton, Jeremy Clark, said he was limited to pre -emination. Local municipalities derive their authority from the state and cannot legislate on the problems that have been taken over by the state law.

Clark said that there are two types of pre -emination: express and default. The key factor in determining if a local ordinance conflicts with the law of the state is whether the law is uniformly applied throughout the state, according to Clark.

“If we were the first municipality to pass this, I would say that this is probably a problem,” he said. “But given that all the municipalities that counselor Pintabone listed have already adopted a similar legislation, a very good argument can be made.”

Councilor Rodger Ruggles said he will not support the proposal if he defies the law of the state.

Northampton County District lawyer Stephen Baratta told Lehighvalleylive.com that he had met Pintabone to discuss the proposal. Baratta noted that Bethlehem He has had a similar ordinance in force for several years, allowing the possession of marijuana to be accused of a summons.

“I respect the authority of Bethlehem to pass such a local ordinance and I also respected the accusation decisions taken by the Bethlehem Police Department regarding these crimes,” Bareratta said. “I was waiting to extend the same courtesy in the city of Easton.”

Baratta explained in addition that, in general, his office is not involved in the decisions of police charges for low level crimes, especially those who do not have a direct victim.

“We recognize that the collateral consequences involved in this accusation, which may include a bar for employment and educational loans, can have an impact on young people and low -income defendants,” he said.

While the possession of marijuana remains illegal, he stressed that it is not a high priority when it comes to the protection of the community.

SCALZO also raised concerns about the administrative challenges of applying such an ordinance. Testing marijuana for evidence, for example, would probably require expensive partnerships with private entities, which could cost up to $ 350 on the test.

“It is my belief that we could practically offer a lighthouse for everyone there who wants to come to our community and he thinks that Easton is now a friendly city,” he said.

The proposal was introduced at a recent council meeting and it is expected to be voted next week.

Chelsea Kun can be contacted [email protected]. Follow -o on Instagram at @Chelsealehighvalley.