Mayor Kenney: Weekend pot party bust 'overkill,' legalization needed

FRANKFORD (WPVI) -- The mayor of Philadelphia says Pennsylvania should legalize marijuana so police don't have to expend resources on busts like the one in his city over the weekend.

Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney says Saturday's raid at a warehouse hosting a pot-smoking party might have been "overkill." Police arrested 22 people and seized more than 50 pounds of marijuana. About 175 people were allowed to leave without charges.

RELATED: 22 arrested, 50 lbs. of marijuana seized in 'pot party' raid

The mayor says he understands why police busted the party, citing the large amount of marijuana present and potentially dangerous conditions in the building.

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But he says marijuana legalization is "the real solution."

In 2014, the city made possession of small amounts of the drug punishable only by a citation and a fine, but marijuana sales weren't decriminalized.

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