PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s new district attorney says he’s recently dropped more than 50 marijuana possession cases.
Top prosecutor Larry Krasner told reporters Thursday that his office tossed the cases earlier this week after noticing a spike in marijuana arrests. Krasner says he felt it was the right thing to do and that his office could use those resources to prosecute murder cases.
Most people who are caught in the city with small amounts of marijuana receive citations but Krasner says that some are still being charged with misdemeanors. He says he’ll drop those cases and won’t prosecute people for having small amounts of pot.
Krasner worked for years in Philadelphia as a civil rights attorney known for suing the police department. He took office in January.
