Allentown, PA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Article II of Chapter 250, adopted in 2018 by Ordinance No. 15446, sets out Allentown's local decriminalization scheme. § 780-113(a)(31), a summary offense violation rather than a referral under the state Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act. "Personal use" is defined to include smoking, inhaling, vaporizing or burning marijuana. B applies the same summary-offense treatment to personal possession of marijuana paraphernalia. Penalties under § 250-9 escalate per calendar year: $25 for a first violation, $50 for a second, $100 for a third, and $150 for a fourth or later violation, with the court able to suspend the fine in favor of up to eight hours of community service at its discretion; the same four-tier schedule applies separately to personal possession, personal use, and paraphernalia possession.

Under § 250-8, the City intends to split revenue collected under this article evenly between the Parks and Recreation Department's youth sports programs and the Police Department's community engagement projects.