Soon, the city of brotherly love could be the largest American city to decriminalize marijuana.

On Monday, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced a potential agreement with the Philadelphia City Council to minimize penalties for possession of marijuana.

In June, the Philadelphia City Council voted 13-3 to pass a bill which decriminalized the possession of marijuana under 30 grams, punishing offenders with a citation and $25 fine.

The bill’s sponsor, Councilman James Kenney, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the agreed amendments to the bill would continue to fight crime while keeping people out of the criminal justice system.

“I am very happy we have worked out a commonsense agreement that will keep police out on the street fighting crime,” said Kenney. “And [the bill] will also save thousands of people a year from the life-altering consequences of a criminal record for a minor offense.”

According to the Inquirer, the agreed amendments would create a separate penalty for those consuming or using marijuana in public. Caught offenders would be charged with a “non criminal summary offense” and face a $100 fine or nine hours of community service.

Charles Stimson, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, called this proposed bill “terrible public policy,” stating that the intentions behind decriminalization ignore the adverse effects.

“By decriminalizing, it sends a message to everybody that pot is harmless and not addictive. Both assertions are wrong,” said Stimson. “This will be an utter failure. It is policy under the patina of compassion which avoids facts.”

James Engler, director of legislation for Kenney, said that the bill seeks to address the effects that minor drug offenses have on the lives of its citizens.

“One of the major issues in the city of Philadelphia is our extremely high poverty rate,” said Engler. “A lot of that stems from people with minor offenses, that lead them to having difficulty gaining employment later in life.”

Engler explained that Kenney sought to find a solution to the 4,300 plus minor drug arrests in Philadelphia last year.

“We have tried to focus whether we can lower or eliminate the arrests for small amount of marijuana possession,” said Engler. “We can save those people from entering the criminal justice system, giving them an opportunity to become productive citizens.”

Stimson disagrees with the Philadelphia’s approach. Instead he argues for drug courts as an alternative measure for decreasing drug offenses.

“I think they are taking a very non-creative route that will ultimately backfire,” said Stimson. “There is 92 percent success rate for people who graduate from drug court. In other words, the recidivism rate is really low.”

Nutter is expected to sign the bill after the council approves the amendments later this week.

If signed, the law would go into effect by mid-October.

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