While Rahm's Undecided on Ticketing Pot Busts, Moreno Says "Legalize It"

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 3, 2011 3:00PM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel stopped short of putting his full support behind an ordinance proposed by 25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis calling for Chicago Police to ticket people found to be holding small amounts of marijuana, a proposal that has the support of other aldermen.

"If you look at other cities that have done something like this, they have also created their own set of problems," Emanuel said. "If we do it, and if I put my support, which I'm not doing yet, I want to look at it from both sides and be thoughtful."

Sounds like the mayor needs to have a smoke break to figure it out. Solis' ordinance calls for having police write $200 tickets to people found to be holding 10 grams or less in pot. Solis is thinking progressively, but considering ten grams of pot would average $140*, that's cutting into some buyers' budgets.

(*We came to that number by using the average price of an ounce in Chicago, according to the Price of Weed index and converting to metric measurements. .353 ounces = 10 grams.)

Maybe another option to consider would be to legalize it. 1st Ward Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno became thee first alderman to call for decriminalizing marijuana yesterday.

“Legalize it, control it, and tax it,” Moreno says. “Regulate it as a controlled substance. How many people do you know who have overdosed on marijuana? It doesn’t happen. The effects of alcohol are much worse.”

Moreno also introduced an ordinance to ban plastic bags yesterday that have some questioning if he was high when he drafted it. BUt Moreno's comments during yesterday's City Council meetings mirror those of County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who's called for the decriminalization of marijuana for years.