Mayor De Blasio will tell New York police to stop arresting people for smoking pot as he prepares to legalize it in the city
- NYC mayor to tell NYPD to issue summonses for smoking weed in public instead
- It is unclear when the new arrest policy will take effect in the city
- De Blasio now thinks legalization is inevitable and is setting up a task force
- Policy change will be part of a 30-day review to address racial disparity in arrests
The mayor of New York City is expected to instruct the city's police department to stop arresting people for smoking weed in public.
Instead, Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to order the NYPD to issue summonses to people caught smoking marijuana in public.
The policy change comes as Mr de Blasio plans to overhaul the city's marijuana enforcement policies to prepare the groundwork for full legalization.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton (seen above last November) demonstrate what 25 grams of marijuana looks like. Mayor de Blasio will tell the NYPD to give out summonses rather than arresting people for smoking weed in public
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A task force made up of city officials will also be set up to tackle issues such as how police officers would handle public smokers, what kind of zoning would be needed for pot dispensaries and create public health campaigns, aids told the New York Daily News on Sunday.
As a long-time critic of legalizing recreational weed, Mr de Blasio now believes legalization is inevitable and that the city should be ready.
Currently, smoking in public can lead to arrest, while possession of small amounts of marijuana can lead to a summons.
However, statistics highlighted by the New York Times show that there has been a persistent racial disparity in marijuana arrests.
A man rolling cannabis during the annual NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally in support of the legalization of the herb for recreational and medical use at Union Square New York. Mr de Blasio now believes legalization is inevitable and that the city should be ready
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (seen above last November) commissioned a study on legalization earlier this year, saying the availability of legal pot in surrounding states has changed the equation for New York
Black people are eight times more likely to be arrested on low-level marijuana charges than white, non-Hispanic New Yorkers, according to the report.
In Manhattan alone, black people were arrested at 15 times the rate of white people.
At the same time, federal statistics show similar rates of marijuana use among whites, blacks and Hispanics, but about 87 per cent of people arrested for pot in New York City are black or Hispanic.
It is unclear when the new arrest policy will take effect.
On the state level, Governor Andrew Cuomo commissioned a study on legalization earlier this year, saying the availability of legal pot in surrounding states has changed the equation for New York.
Mr Cuomo, like Mr de Blasio, has opposed legalization.
The mayor of New York City is expected to instruct the city's police department to stop arresting people for smoking weed in public. This comes as the mayor aims to overhaul the city's marijuana enforcement policies to prepare the groundwork for full legalization
Mr de Blasio promised last week that the city's police department would overhaul its marijuana enforcement policies in the next 30 days.
Manhattan's district attorney Cy Vance Jr and Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said on Tuesday they will largely stop prosecuting people for possessing or smoking marijuana.
Mr Vance said that his office will stop prosecuting marijuana possession and smoking cases starting August 1 except for a few cases involving 'demonstrated public safety concerns.'
The NYPD is also expected to come up with other initiatives to address the racial disparity.
'We have got to continue to drive down the arrests,' Mr de Blasio said Monday on TV station NY1. 'We've got to look at other policy changes that will help us do that. I don't accept disparity. I really don't.'
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