NYC to Stop Arresting for Minor Marijuana Possession

New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that police in New York City will begin writing tickets instead of handcuffing people caught with small amounts of marijuana.
Now, if people are caught with up to 25 grams of marijuana, police will be able to issue a court summonses instead of having to make an arrest. Although, people without proper identification, people with an outstanding warrant, or people actively smoking weed in public will still be subject to arrest.

Last year alone, the NYPD arrested more than 28,000 people for marijuana possession. According to a Queens College study, 86 percent of the NYPD arrests for marijuana possession from January 2014 to August 2014 were blacks and Hispanics.

“Black and Latino communities have been disproportionately affected” stated NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio.