Low-level marijuana offenders ‘clogging’ Pa. prisons, Wolf says

More can be done to cut down on marijuana arrests in Pennsylvania, said Gov. Tom Wolf.

In an interview on WITF’s Smart Talk, Wolf noted that some municipalities, including Philadelphia, have already decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. And prosecutors in other areas, he said, are using their discretion to downgrade punishments.

However, the governor said he would like to see more “systematic” action.

“There are too many people who are going to prison because of the use of very modest amounts, or carrying modest amounts, of marijuana,” he said. “And that is clogging up our prisons, it’s destroying families, and it’s hurting our economy.”

But Wolf said he’s against legalizing recreational use, despite the potential economic benefits.

“I think we can watch what happens in Washington and Colorado and Oregon and see what their experience is,” he said Monday. “I’m not sure it’s been uniformly great.”

Wolf signed a medical marijuana bill into law in April. The drug is slated to be available to patients in early 2018.