3. Decrim Rolls Through Northeast Cities, Several States and Jamaica Too
The decrim train stopped in East Coast cities. After some heavy negotiating with City Councils, first the District of Columbia, then Philadelphia adopted new laws that decriminalize personal possession of marijuana (just don't smoke in public - that's still against the law). Racial disparities in arrests prompted the changes. The city that's arrested the most people for pot, New York, also had a major change of heart, fashioning new regs that reduce arrests to summonses. In Maryland and Missouri, legislatures passed bills, upping the number of decrim states to 15. And in Jamaica, there was much talk about a shift in the island's ganja policy, but it's yet to go into effect.
