New York City Police to Stop Arresting for Cannabis Possession
At a press conference this afternoon, New York Mayor Bill
de Blasio will announce that the city’s police department will no longer arrest individuals for low-level cannabis possession, and will instead issue tickets.
The announce will come less than three weeks after a report was released, finding that discriminatory cannabis arrests have continued under Mayor de Blasio, who was elected in 2013. The report found that since de Blasio took office, the number of cannabis arrests are set to equal, or even surpass the rate of arrests under Mayor Bloomberg.
The new policy, put forth by Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, will take effect immediately.
In July, Brooklyn City Attorney Kenneth Thompson announced that he would stop prosecuting low-level cannabis charges.
– TheJointBlog