Marijuana Arrests In NYC Will Mean A Desk Appearance Ticket......Not a night in Jail

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Personally, I think they should just decriminalize Marijuana, altogether.....It's gonna happen eventually. Just legalize it, and be done with it.

Bloomberg: Marijuana Arrests In NYC Will Mean A Desk Appearance Ticket, Not A Night In Jail
Posted: 02/14/2013 1:58 pm EST | Updated: 02/14/2013 7:11 pm EST



Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that those arrested in New York City for possessing small amounts of marijuana will no longer have to spend a night in jail.

The new measure, set to take effect next month, was announced during Bloomberg's State of the City speech. From the speech:

“But we know that there’s more we can do to keep New Yorkers, particularly young men, from ending up with a criminal record. Commissioner Kelly and I support Governor Cuomo’s proposal to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a violation, rather than a misdemeanor and we’ll work to help him pass it this year. But we won’t wait for that to happen.
“Right now, those arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana are often held in custody overnight. We’re changing that. Effective next month, anyone presenting an ID and clearing a warrant check will be released directly from the precinct with a desk appearance ticket to return to court. It’s consistent with the law, it’s the right thing to do and it will allow us to target police resources where they’re needed most."

Lat month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed decriminalizing the possession of under 15 grams of marijuana.

New York City is one of the highest rates of marijuana arrests in the world. From a report by the Drug Policy Alliance:

In the last decade since Michael Bloomberg became mayor, the NYPD has made 400,038 lowest level marijuana possession arrests at a cost of $600 million dollars. Nearly 350,000 of the marijuana possession arrests made under Bloomberg are of overwhelmingly young Black and Latino men, despite the fact that young whites use marijuana at higher rates than young Blacks and Latinos.
In the last five years, the NYPD under Bloomberg has made more marijuana arrests (2007 to 2011 = 227,093) than in the 24 years from 1978 through 2001 under Mayor Giuliani, Mayor Dinkins, and Mayor Koch combined (1978 to 2001 = 226,861).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2687954.html

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

I would have to agree. What surprised me, and raises many additional questsion is the referrence to the fact that 87% of arrests are young Black and Latino men, despite the fact that young whites use marijuana at higher rates than young Blacks and Latinos. It may be a little misleading as it doesn't directly say that the 350,000 arrests are a proportion of the low level arrests, or of arrests in general, so that percentage may be incorrect. One can only infer this, since the previous statistic of 400,038 refer to only that type.

Personally, I think they should just decriminalize Marijuana, altogether.....It's gonna happen eventually. Just legalize it, and be done with it.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Hmmm, gandalf252002, you got me thinking, so I googled, and found this....

http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/3...inal-activity/

Drugs

Human Rights Watch Report: Marijuana Arrests Not Harbinger of More Violent Criminal Activity

By Maia SzalavitzNov. 30, 2012


Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/3...#ixzz2KyDG2dl7


New York City police boosted arrests for public possession of marijuana in recent years, on the assumption that the action would improve public safety.

According to a report from the Human Rights Watch, however, that logic may not be justified. The group tracked for seven years nearly 30,000 New Yorkers without prior criminal convictions who were arrested for minor marijuana possession in 2003 and 2004, and found only 3.1% of those arrested are later convicted of a violent felony.

Government statistics show that officers arrested nearly 600,000 people for marijuana possession between 1996 and 2011, as part of the city’s strategy to concentrate on petty crimes. By doing so, police hoped to catch the people who were most likely to already be committing more serious offenses (and evading detection) or who would do so again in the future. In that time, marijuana possession was the most common charge in New York City court cases.


The arrests primarily targeted black and Hispanic violators, the report confirmed. Seventeen percent of those arrested during the study period were white, while blacks made up 49% and Hispanics constitute 31% of those charged. Other research on the city’s marijuana arrests shows that between 2004 and 2008, blacks were eight times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession and Hispanics four times more likely.

The authors note that while New York experienced a drop in crime during the time of the escalated cannabis arrests from the 90s onwards, other cities that used different approaches such as community-based policing and gang outreach to improve public safety did so as well. And a study [PDF] that broke down marijuana arrests and crime rates at the level of precincts found no association between the two.

The Human Rights Watch study found that the felony conviction rate of people arrested for marijuana in New York was actually lower than the national rate, after controlling for age, race and gender. In other words, using marijuana arrests to capture violent criminals may be less effective than simply randomly arresting young men, the group most likely to commit any type of crime.

And the consequences of arrest can have a significant impact on public health. For one, they can lead to job loss and chronic unemployment, since convictions can damage future employment prospects. That in turn can interfere with not only access to health insurance but also with economic status, which is correlated with behaviors that promote better health. Secondly, jails themselves are a source of infectious disease and put people at risk for sexual assault. Teens and young adults— who are the majority of those arrested— can seriously put their health and lives at risk through encounters with the justice system. Finally, arrests can lead to loss of child custody and housing, both of which can harm health.

In 2010 alone, New York City spent $75 million on arresting people for marijuana possession, yet the state continues to have a slightly higher than average level of marijuana use among teens — 14% of youth aged 12-17 smoked in the past year, compared to the national average of 13%. National studies have repeatedly shown that spending on drug enforcement, which rises with rising arrests rates, is not well correlated with addiction rates. Whether the goal is fighting addiction or fighting crime, we may need to use a different strategy.

[PigsDad Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PigsDad]

Legalize it, regulate it, and (heavily, IMO) tax it. I really don't see much downside, and it has the potential of creating legitimate jobs, create tax revenue, etc.

Kurt

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I believe this is being done in conjunction with an effort to justify and continue the current "stop and frisk" practice allowing police to stop and search people for weapons without cause. It's lead to many arrests for possession of marijuana found incidentally, which has been highly criticized by groups opposed to the practice on civil rights grounds. That would account for the disproportionate number of minorities given the racial profiling that is so commonplace here.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Legalize it, regulate it, and (heavily, IMO) tax it. I really don't see much downside, and it has the potential of creating legitimate jobs, create tax revenue, etc.

Kurt

I absolutely agree. They are buying it anyway.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

the only reason it was ever "a gateway drug" was that people could only get it from Dealers. Legalize it, let people grow for their own use, etc., and replace tobacco crops.

Definitely there are bigger fish for cops to fry than potheads. Slap on a Sin Tax and we're there.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Legalize it, regulate it, and (heavily, IMO) tax it. I really don't see much downside, and it has the potential of creating legitimate jobs, create tax revenue, etc.

Kurt

I agree completely with all your points. I have never smoked pot even when I was in my 20's during the 1960's.

[PigsDad Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PigsDad]

I agree completely with all your points. I have never smoked pot even when I was in my 20's during the 1960's.

Nor have I (although I was in my 20's during the 1980's ). I would classify pot on the level of alcohol as far as being a "detriment to society" -- try to keep it away from kids, and regulate what you can do (driving, etc.) while under its effects. It's a personal choice, IMO.

Kurt

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Yeah, but how about large sodas?

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

Nor have I (although I was in my 20's during the 1980's ). I would classify pot on the level of alcohol as far as being a "detriment to society" -- try to keep it away from kids, and regulate what you can do (driving, etc.) while under its effects. It's a personal choice, IMO.

Kurt

Your right about pot but from what I have seen alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana.

The problem with regulating pot will be price. If the price is to high with all of the taxes then the black market will still control this product. Marijuana will need to be priced and packaged with easy access and the same if not better quality than a person could buy from their dealer to be a viable product.

And if your wondering why other races get arrested more often it could be that they are committing more offenses.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

It would be logical to sell it at Taco bell, or at least with Taco Bell coupons.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Yeah, but how about large sodas?

That should be up to the consumer, NOT the government.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

And if your wondering why other races get arrested more often it could be that they are committing more offenses.

If that were true, I shudder to think what you might attribute it to.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Yeah, but how about large sodas?

Only small amounts of marijuana are being decriminalized, so the Mayor is consistent.