A marijuana legalization advocate marches down Market Street on Saturday. Photo: Joshua Albert

By Kenneth Lipp

Councilman Jim Kenney and Mayor Michael Nutter have reached an agreement on an amended bill to change the practice of mandatory arrest for possession of small amounts (less than 30 grams) of marijuana in the city of Philadelphia, in favor of a $25 fine and citation.  The mayor had previously been dismissive of the bill, then expressed his openness to working on an alternative measure.

The amended Bill 140377  will differ from the original in that it will also include a provision for a $100 fine, in addition to the $25 citation, for anyone caught smoking marijuana in public. The final version includes all original reporting requirements for the Philadelphia Police Department regarding the number of citations and arrests for marijuana, important for tracking the effects of the bill on racially disparate trends in…