New Yorkers carrying small amounts of marijuana may no longer be arrested or face criminal charges, city officials announced Monday, marking a significant shift in how the nation's biggest city approaches policing pot, The New York Daily News reported.
Under a 1977 state law, it's only a violation to have up to 25 grams of marijuana in a pocket or bag, but the offense rises to a misdemeanor if the pot is being smoked or is "open to public view," according to Reuters.
Under the new policy, set to take effect Nov. 19, people caught smoking will still be arrested, as will people with open warrants or no identification, Reuters reported.
Instead of being arrested on misdemeanor charges that carry potential punishments of up to three months in jail, many people will get court summonses and face non-criminal violations punishable by fines starting at $100, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton announced, according to the Daily News.
State law makes it a misdemeanor to have up to 25 grams of marijuana in "public view," but the mayor characterized stopping such arrests as the officers choice, the Daily News reported.
De Blasio said it would give police officers time to pursue more serious crime and spare people from the consequences of arrest records for cases that often end up getting dismissed, according to Reuters.
It's "a smart policy that keeps New Yorkers safe, but it is also a more fair policy," said de Blasio, the Daily News reported.
New York made the move a week after voters in Washington, D.C., and in Oregon and Alaska approved measures legalizing marijuana, joining Colorado and Washington states, but De Blasio and Bratton still are against legalizing the drug, according to the Daily News.
From 1978 to 1995, arrests averaged about 2,100 a year citywide, and then shot up, peaking at 50,700 in 2011, Reuters reported. After the NYPD came under criticism of police tactics and some policy changes, they fell to 28,600 last year, with 24,080 so far this year.
