When the mayor took over Rahm Emanuel, immediately made it clear he would do everything possible to get the fiscal house in Chicago in order. As the state and county struggle with the same problems, one of the issues has come up again and again, decriminalization of marijuana.
Therefore, on Wednesday, the council action. Ald. Danny Solis (25), introduced an ordinance for the City Council that would make possession of small amounts of marijuana a ticket crime - leaving offenders to pay a fine of $ 200 compared to a misdemeanor, reports the Associated Press.
"In these tough economic times, we really could use the revenue generated by the fines against the arrests," Solis told the AP. "Each one (of arrest) means that the police are spending an enormous amount of time outside of the neighborhoods within the district office paperwork."
And Solis is not alone. Ald. Joe Moreno (1), wrote a blog for the Huffington Post last week about his support for the ordinance Solis, and shared some thoughts on the "War on Drugs":
The fact that governments around the country are broke can be a good thing, if legislators are brave enough to leave to appeal to the lowest common denominator and start telling the truth. This ordinance is in Chicago begins.
The drug war began a year before I was born. It has to die as soon as possible, since it has become a de facto war on the poor, minorities and reason.
Solis believes that the change would bring the city $ 7 million per year and also keep the police and judicial workers ", money and thousands of hours of time."
Earlier this month, the Chicago Reader reported that Cook County spent at least $ 78 million each year arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating people for possession of marijuana. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle of made it clear that he wants the costs go down, and the police want to stop making arrests for low-level crimes of drug possession throughout the county. Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey also supports decriminalization.
"The simple truth is that the decades-long policy that we had for the possession of small amounts of marijuana could not do more than fill our jails with nonviolent offenders, the tension of our budget, and according to some studies even cause an increase in serious crimes, "Fritchey said in a press conference on the matter last week, according to the reader.
Aldermen including Howard Brookins, Richard Mell, Ariel Reboyras, Walter Burnett, Joe Moreno, Bob Graham and Deborah Fioretti have signed on as co-sponsors of the ordinance, reports NBC Chicago.
Mayor Emanuel had been silent on the subject, but weighed on Wednesday. He said police officers have made similar suggestions to him, but he sure wants to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana does not create more problems.