Doylestown considering relaxed marijuana penalty

Doylestown officials are looking into possibly imposing a more relaxed enforcement for those caught with a small amount of marijuana.

If adopted, it could be the first of its kind in Bucks County. Borough Manager John Davis said the public safety subcommittee tasked him with looking into other similar ordinances put in place in other municipalities in the state to get an idea of what one could look like in the borough.

The subcommittee, which is made up of four borough council members, discussed the idea Wednesday, according to Davis. It was the first time they had floated the idea.

“This will be pursued further,” he said.

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said he was not aware of any municipalities in the county with such ordinances.

Under a possible new ordinance, those caught with less than 30 grams of marijuana in the borough could potentially face a nontraffic citation instead of a misdemeanor offense, according to Central Bucks Regional Police Chief Karl Knott.

They would then have to pay a fine, which would be determined by the borough.

Knott said the idea behind the relaxed enforcement is that younger offenders could get caught with marijuana and have a misdemeanor offense that could potentially cause problems for their future. “It just gives us a different route to go with some of these younger offenders,” he said. The chief noted that officers would still have the option to charge the misdemeanor offense. It would depend on the circumstance, such as marijuana being found in conjunction with a larger crime.

Davis said he received similar ordinances from Bethlehem, Norristown and East Norriton, and sent them to the borough solicitor for his opinion and guidance. The borough manager said a few council members were aware ordinances of relaxed marijuana possession enforcement were being adopted elsewhere in the state, and they asked him to put it on the agenda. The safety subcommittee is expected to review the opinion from the solicitor during its next meeting in February. Members of the subcommittee could then authorize a draft ordinance, which could be sent to the borough council for review and possible approval in March Multiple areas in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, State College and York, have passed ordinances reducing penalties for small amounts of marijuana in recent years.