Editorial: Write ticket instead of filing charge for pot possession

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Updated: December 4, 2011 11:05AM

No one can seriously argue that our existing laws have largely stamped out marijuana use. But their downside is huge: 23,000 arrests in Chicago each year for small amounts of marijuana that cost $78 million a year to adjudicate, even though — as Chicago Sun-Times reporter Frank Main wrote Monday — 84 percent of the cases involving 10 grams or less were thrown out from 2006 through 2010.

It’s time to try something else. An ordinance introduced Wednesday and backed by 27 aldermen would be a good start. It would change the penalty for possessing 10 grams or less of marijuana to a $200 ticket instead of a misdemeanor charge punishable by up to six months in prison.

Is this going soft on crime? No. As Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey says, it is going smart on crime.

Fritchey, who last week called on Chicago Police to change their policy on marijuana arrests, said the city is losing about 80,000 person-hours a year on cases that are being dismissed. That’s time that could be redeployed to fight more serious crimes.

Moreover, in cases where there are marijuana convictions, they disproportionately affect minorities, who account for 90 percent of convictions.

And — as Ald. Dick Mell said Wednesday — even when cases are thrown out, defendants are left with arrest records that make it harder to find jobs or pursue an education.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle already has called on police to stop making minor marijuana arrests. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said only that he wants more study.

If the ordinance is passed, it must be monitored to ensure that marijuana use doesn’t increase, putting more money in the pockets of dangerous drug cartels.

But the current laws aren’t working. We need to do better.