Harmony over New York Marijuana Law

New York’s Mayor is backing plans to de-criminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Proposed law changes would mean carrying less than 25 grams of pot would be punishable by a fine.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is known for his tough policy on tobacco, but favours this more lenient attitude to smoking a joint.

Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, introduced the proposal in order to cut down on unnecessary arrests made by New York City and State Police.According to him these arrests waste time and resources on petty offenses and the proposal would allow the police to focus on more serious crimes.

“This is an issue that disproportionately affects young people,” Cuomo said in a statement. “They wind up with a permanent stain on their record for something that would otherwise be a violation. The charge makes it more difficult for them to find a job.” Bloomberg’s support along with that of prosecutors and police officials give the proposal additional legitimacy that may catapult it into law.

Bloomberg originally supported low-level marijuana arrests, because they prevented more serious crime.He does not think the proposed law would interfere with combating serious crime as they would still be able to arrest those who are smoking marijuana in public.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly joined Cuomo at a news conference in Albany, the state capital, to show city support.

In September, Kelly ordered police not to arrest those holding small amounts of marijuana when stopped.

This came after a huge number of arrests under NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy.The practice allows police to stop anybody who looks suspicious.Planned or not, Latino and Blacks make up 82% of those stopped under stop-and-frisk, according to the governor’s office.

Low-level marijuana arrests have fallen by nearly a quarter as a result, according to a city spokesman.

Mayor Bloomberg said Cuomo’s proposed law and Kelly’s instructions to police are in harmony.

“I think it puts the police in an awkward position to tell them, enforce some laws, don’t enforce other laws,” Cuomo said in reference to Kelly’s orders.Cuomo is using the inconsistency in his favor to get the law passed.

Senator Martin J. Golden of Brooklyn, a Republican, fears the message the law would send to youngsters.He says several young people in his district died from prescription drug overdose, and claims 25 grams is “a lot of pot.”

The proposed law comes amid claims the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy is an excuse for racial profiling.

“If you’re a young, black male, even a female, you’re going to feel that you’re being targeted when you notice that your white counterparts are not being arrested for the same thing,” said Leroy Gadsden, the chairman of the criminal justice committee for the statewide National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said

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