Manhattan Police to Stop Prosecuting Low Level Cannabis Cases
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]M[/dropcap]anhattan’s “top cop” admitted that continuing to criminalize cannabis consumers is an utter waste of everybody’s time—and frankly, we couldn’t agree more. Soon, Manhattanites who are caught committing low level cannabis crimes will no longer be arrested by NYPD police officers. On Tuesday, May 5, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced that his office will stop prosecuting low level cannabis cases, effective August 1.
Cannabis arrests in Manhattan disproportionately fall on people of color, which is one of the driving factors. “The dual mission of the Manhattan DA’s office is a safer New York and a more equal justice system,” Vance stated. “The ongoing arrest and criminal prosecution of predominantly black and brown New Yorkers for smoking marijuana serves neither of these goals.”
Currently, people in Manhattan who are arrested for cannabis are fingerprinted, sent to court and then they are haunted for a lifetime with a criminal record.
There are so many reasons to discontinue arresting people for cannabis. According to Drug Policy Alliance, 52,730 people of color were arrested in New York City for cannabis-related crimes from 2014-2016. During the same period, only 8,260 whites and others were arrested, despite numerous studies showing that they consume cannabis at similar rates.
Judging by similar actions taken in New York City’s other boroughs, the change won’t create problems for Manhattan.
The borough of Brooklyn, for instance, has already slowly stopped prosecuting its residents for most low level cannabis crimes, unless the crimes are considered a nuisance. “Since 2014, the Brooklyn DA’s office has led the way in declining to prosecute marijuana possession cases, resulting in a 75% decline in arrests citywide and confirming that such a policy does not adversely affect public safety,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told CNN correspondents.
Meanwhile, New York’s medical cannabis program allows non-smokable forms of cannabis for qualifying patients. In addition, cannabis has already been decriminalized at the state level, which makes Manhattan’s latest move make sense.
