Lynne Abraham shifts stance on pot possession

The Inquirer, in Wednesday's edition, polled the six declared and likely Democratic candidates for mayor on their positions about possession of small amounts of marijuana, legalizing the drug and whether they had ever used it.

Former District Attorney Lynne Abraham's answers prompted former City Councilman Jim Kenney's campaign to suggest she had "flip-flopped" on the issue.

Abraham's campaign, alerted to the "flip-flop" allegation, acknowledged that she has shifted her stance on the issue due to conversations she has had since November with "numerous residents, health experts, civic organizations, community leaders and many others knowledgeable and impacted by marijuana issues in our city."

Abraham told Philadelphia Magazine's Citified blog last month that she opposed decriminalization of penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana.  Kenney successfully pushed legislation for that through City Council and into law last fall.

Here is the full statement from Abraham's campaign on the issue:

"Since declaring my candidacy for Mayor in mid-November, I have been able to speak to numerous residents, health experts, civic organizations, community leaders and many others knowledgeable and impacted by marijuana issues in our City. Seeking information and attaining new levels of understanding benefits everyone and are the hallmarks of responsible, progressive leadership. As a result, because of the ongoing conversations regarding marijuana that I have had, I support decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use by adults. I would not support decriminalization for children and adolescents."