New York: Governor Endorses Legislation To Halt Tens Of Thousands Of Marijuana Posses

Surprised no one has put this up yet?!?!

Thursday, 07 June 2012
Albany, NY: Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo has endorsed a legislative effort to equalize marijuana possession penalties, regardless of whether the cannabis is possessed in private or in public view. Governor Cuomo announced his support at a press conference on Monday. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly are also backing the effort.
Under state law, the private possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana is a non-criminal civil citation, punishable by a $100 fine. By contrast, the possession of any amount of cannabis in public view is a criminal misdemeanor [NY State Penal Law 221.10].
In 2011, New York City law enforcement spent $75 million arresting approximately 50,000 minor marijuana offenders under Penal Law 221.10. Many of these offenders had marijuana on their person, and only revealed the cannabis publicly after being ordered by police to empty their pockets during 'stop-and-frisk' searches. According to the Governor's office, 94 percent of arrests for small amounts of marijuana in the state are in New York City. Over 85 percent of those charged were either African American or Latino.
Governor Cuomo said that the present law is "incongruous" and "disproportionately" effects black and Hispanic youth.
Pending bipartisan legislation - Senate Bill 5187 and Assembly Bill 7620 - would equalize minor marijuana possession penalties to a non-criminal, fine-only offense. According to the Associated Press, Cuomo's proposal differs slightly from these measures because it would retain criminal misdemeanor penalties for cannabis smoking in public.
State lawmakers are expected to be in session for three more weeks.
On Tuesday, a coalition of advocacy groups, including ColorOfChange.org and the Drug Policy Alliance, launched an online advocacy campaign featuring video testimonials from people who the campaign says have been illegally searched or falsely charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in New York City.
For more information or to view the video testimonials, please visit: New York Marijuana Arrests | Drug Policy Alliance.



New York: Governor Endorses Legislation To Halt Tens Of Thousands Of Marijuana Possession Arrests

on the daily show with jon stewart, he made a funny comparison of two cups: one was a large soda and one had 25g of weed in it.

the large soda is a $200 fine, and the weed is a $100 fine.

So his punchline was that with these new laws, a large soda is twice as illegal as small amount of weed.

I hate our government

The title of the thread is misleading. He actually said he is against legalizing but is for decriminalizing.

EDIT: Think I came off as a douche in that last post, Happy for New York. I can't believe they have those "stop and frisk" stuff going on over there. Seems like a major breech of liberties.

Edited by Jamaican Hotbox, 11 June 2012 - 12:58 PM.

im from new york, new york...i got a hundred ** with a hundred** im from new york

The police are seeing $100 bills just falling from the sky. Well, not the sky, but your out turned pockets. Further incentive for them to stop and harass people. And better bottom lines as they won't have to bother with the legal prosecution anymore and the overhead that necessitated. Hold on to your pockets, NY. I don't see this as a good thing. I see further escalation of present practices coming with this.

This would have been good news anywhere else, but with NYPD's history and the ridiculous privileges the State allows them, New Yorker's are fucked.

Like I tell everyone I know, if you enjoy using Marijuana on a recreational basis, stay the hell out of NY!

I think people who are not from this state just assume that it is liberal with regards to Marijuana, but that sentiment could not be further from the truth.

If you were to tell me a few years ago that in 2012 NY would still not have MMJ, I would have thought you were crazy...joke's on me

ROFL I went to college in NY, let me tell you it is the most liberal state. I was caught 3 times and never had my stash taken.

NYPD: Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?
Me: No I do not
NYPD: your tail light went out, is that marijuana I smell?
Me: Yes, we picked up and are taking it home. It is all we have, if you don't believe me you can search my car
NYPD: That is not necessary, I'm gonna have to ask you to step out of the car.
(sobriety test)
NYPD: here is your fix-it ticket, you have a day to get it done. now don't be stupid, leave your weed at home. Have a nice day.

ROFL I went to college in NY, let me tell you it is the most liberal state. I was caught 3 times and never had my stash taken.

NYPD: Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?
Me: No I do not
NYPD: your tail light went out, is that marijuana I smell?
Me: Yes, we picked up and are taking it home. It is all we have, if you don't believe me you can search my car
NYPD: That is not necessary, I'm gonna have to ask you to step out of the car.
(sobriety test)
NYPD: here is your fix-it ticket, you have a day to get it done. now don't be stupid, leave your weed at home. Have a nice day.

You must have been one of the lucky ones...just because you had a run-in with a lenient p.o. doesn't mean jack-squat when it comes to marijuana arrests in N.Y.

NYC, Marijuana Arrest Capital of the World? Activists Rally at Bloomberg's Apartment Over Illegal, Racist Pot Arrests


New York City has the dubious -- and well-earned -- reputation as the world's marijuana arrest capital, with more than 50,000 people being arrested for pot possession there last year alone at an estimated cost of $75 million. It also has a mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who has famously said he smoked marijuana and enjoyed it, yet who presides over a police force that has run roughshod over the state's marijuana decriminalization law in order to make those arrests, almost all of which are of members of the city's black and brown minority communities.
On Thursday, activists and concerned citizens organized as the New Yorkers for Health & Safety campaign marched to the mayor's home, an apartment building in Manhattan's Upper East Side, to call him on his hypocrisy, chastise the NYPD for its racially-skewed stop-and-frisk policing, and demand that the city quit wasting tens of millions a dollar a year on low-level marijuana arrests even as it proposes cuts to other vital New York City services.
The campaign, consisting of members of the Drug Policy Alliance, VOCAL-NY, the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives, the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, andWomen on the Rise Telling Her Story (WORTH), among others, brought out dozens of people for a march to the mayor's residence, followed by a brief rally. Protestors, some wearing Mayor Bloomberg masks, held signs and chanted as they rallied across the street from the apartment building.
"Bloomberg is doing more than wasting $75 million a year on marijuana arrests, he is wasting the future our youth," said Chino Hardin, lead know-your-rights trainer for the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives. "We don't want kids using drugs, so why not put money into real programs that will help them make better choices, not give forever lasting criminal records."
Under New York state law, the possession of small amounts of marijuana is decriminalized, punishable by a ticket and fine. But NYPD practice, designed to get around that law and generate arrests, is to stop-and-frisk citizens going about their business, almost always young people of color, order them to empty their pockets (which they are not required by law to do), then arrest them for possession of marijuana in public when a baggie containing weed emerges. That is not an infraction, but a misdemeanor, and the victims are then arrested and jailed, typically for 24 hours or more, before being arraigned and released.
Last year, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly ordered an end to that practice, but that has yet to be reflected in declining marijuana possession arrest numbers. And those numbers are huge: In addition to the more than 50,000 arrested last year, another 350,000 have been arrested since Bloomberg took office in 2002, at an estimated cost to the city of $600 million.
Even though whites use marijuana at higher rates than any other ethnic or racial group, nearly 85% of those arrested for pot possession are black and Latino, and most are under 30. Being arrested for pot means more than a day or so in jail; it also creates a permanent criminal record that can easily be accessed by employers, landlords, schools, credit agencies, licensing boards and banks, damaging the life prospects of those saddled with a rap sheet.
"For a mayor who celebrates diversity as a key staple of the city, he sure has a horrible way of demonstrating his appreciation for certain communities in our City," said Kassandra Frederique, policy coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance. "Black and Latino New Yorkers cannot walk down the street without fear of being stopped, frisked, illegally searched, and then falsely charged and arrested for something that was decriminalized over 30 years ago. This is costing us millions of dollars as taxpayers. It's an insult, and must end now."
Mayor Bloomberg last year launched a new $130 million Young Men's Initiative, "the nation's boldest and most comprehensive effort to tackle the broad disparities slowing the advancement of black and Latino young men," but continues to preside over a marijuana arrest policy seemingly designed to increase those disparities. That makes the mayor a hypocrite, the protestors charged.
"Mayor Bloomberg is talking out of both sides of his mouth when it comes to helping young Black and Latino men like me," said Alfredo Carrasquillo, a community organizer for VOCAL-NY who has been targeted under stop-and-frisk practices, illegally searched and falsely arrested for marijuana possession. "The money for his Young Men's Initiative goes to waste along with the taxpayer dollars he's wasting on pursuing his marijuana arrests crusade in my community."
"New York City is spending $75 million dollars a year to arrest and prosecutor mostly young people of color simply for possessing marijuana -- which is not a crime in New York State." said Harry Levine, Queens College Professor and founder of the Marijuana Arrest Research Project. "It is long past time for this outrage to stop."
It isn't just activists who have taken notice. Lawmakers in Albany have crafted bipartisan legislation, Assembly Bill 7620, introduced by Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D, WFP-Brooklyn), and companion measure Senate Bill 5187, introduced by Sen. Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo), that would standardize marijuana possession penalties statewide, enforcing the original legislative intent of the 1977 decriminalization law. Dozens of New York City council members have signed onto a resolution supporting those bills and calling to end to the mass marijuana arrests.
"The explosion of low level marijuana arrests in New York City is a tremendous waste of precious law enforcement resources and needlessly scars thousands of young lives," said Jeffries. "Our legislation is an additional step toward a more equitable criminal justice system that treats everyone the same, regardless of race or socioeconomic status."
Activists in the city aren't waiting for Albany to ride to the rescue. They are planning more street actions, including one next month, said the Drug Policy Alliance's Frederique, and they're looking for some white guys.
"We will be having an action in April, but haven't yet decided on the date and location, or the exact nature of the action," she said. "We're trying to get white men under 30 to show up, since those are the people who actually smoke marijuana, but don't get arrested. And we are cordially inviting New York City's most famous pot smoker, Mayor Bloomberg, to attend."
An organizing meeting for the April action will take place next Wednesday, April 4, at 113 West 13th Street in Manhattan. Contact the organizations linked to above for more information.

NYC, Marijuana Arrest Capital of the World? Activists Rally at Bloomberg's Apartment Over Illegal, Racist Pot Arrests | AlterNet

Lol, the cops in NY aren't that bad. I've ran into cops in the city with weed but they were only interested in weapons they could've gave less of a fuck about my dime of herb. Cheers to this Governor on this act. One step closer!

Lol, the cops in NY aren't that bad. I've ran into cops in the city with weed but they were only interested in weapons they could've gave less of a fuck about my dime of herb. Cheers to this Governor on this act. One step closer!

you must be white

You must have been one of the lucky ones...just because you had a run-in with a lenient p.o. doesn't mean jack-squat when it comes to marijuana arrests in N.Y.




NYC, Marijuana Arrest Capital of the World? Activists Rally at Bloomberg's Apartment Over Illegal, Racist Pot Arrests | AlterNet

Funny story that is NYC, with the highest population per square foot of any city. Those statistics are based on the fact that they can sometimes only pick up crime lords on petty weed charges because all other charges are circumstantial.

you must be white

Lol not at all. I happen to be from Crown Heights,Brooklyn. The most a cop has done to me was taken my herb. If you have under 7gs they can only give you a ticket. I find walking around with a 1/4+ is a case of stupidity.

on the daily show with jon stewart, he made a funny comparison of two cups: one was a large soda and one had 25g of weed in it.

the large soda is a $200 fine, and the weed is a $100 fine.

So his punchline was that with these new laws, a large soda is twice as illegal as small amount of weed.

I hate our government

It actually makes sense from a personal safety standpoint. Large sodas will disease and kill you faster than large weeds. So the relative punishments actually make sense considering the government is "protecting" you.