(The Center Square) — Pennsylvania’s recreational marijuana prohibition recently inspired one county election official to not seek re-election.
And, during an interview with The Center Square, Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene said prosecuting violations of the ban weren’t worth the office’s time.
Public safety isn’t threatened by legalization, he argued. Instead, law enforcement should focus on bigger threats.
“Hard drugs are the No. 1 problem in the criminal justice system,” Greene said. “We’re not going to incarcerate our way out of this problem.”
That ranking, he argued, is common across district attorneys in Pennsylvania; instead of going after heroin, Warren County has a drug task force as “the main hammer that we use to get drugs off the street.”
“We are very active and vigorous in getting meth, fentanyl, heroin — we do not pursue marijuana cases,” Greene said.
Greene announced earlier this month that he will not seek a fourth term in office as he revealed that he obtained a medical marijuana card. Due to federal law, Greene had to forfeit his license to carry a firearm to the county sheriff days after his announcement.
Greene plans to serve until his term ends in December 2025. He admitted to being a lifelong marijuana user, though he said he did not partake during his time as district attorney or during his military service.
He says the marijuana prohibition puts the public in legal trouble for a substance that’s safer than…
