By Freeman Klopott - 2012-06-04T15:42:21Z
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will ask legislators to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana that are in public view, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The measure is aimed at reducing the number of people arrested for possessing pot when they’re stopped by police, according to the official, who said he isn’t authorized to speak about the governor’s plans publicly. Cuomo, a 54-year-old Democrat, will announce the move today at a 1 p.m. press conference, the person said.
Cuomo’s initiative would put New York among more than a dozen states that have taken similar action, including California and Connecticut. A bill that would decriminalize possession of 15 grams (0.5 ounces) or less of marijuana was approved by a New Jersey Assembly committee last month.
New York’s Legislature in 1977 reduced the penalty for possessing 25 grams or less of pot to a violation that carries a fine of as much as $100 for first-time offenders. It’s still a misdemeanor if the drug is viewed in public, which happens when someone is asked to empty his or her pockets during a police stop.
The Cuomo administration official declined to define how much a small amount of pot is. Rich Bamberger, Cuomo’s communications director, declined to comment on the issue. The governor’s decriminalization plans were reported today by the New York Times. (NYT)
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg backed the governor’s decriminalization proposal, citing a directive by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly last September ordering officers to issue violations, as opposed to misdemeanor arrests, to individuals found to possess small amounts of marijuana.
The governor’s initiative “strikes the right balance by ensuring that the NYPD will continue to have the tools it needs to maintain public safety -- including making arrests for selling or smoking marijuana,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
Kelly will be attending Cuomo’s press conference today, Bloomberg said. The mayor is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
To contact the reporter on this story: Freeman Klopott in Albany at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at at [email protected]
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will ask legislators to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana that are in public view, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The measure is aimed at reducing the number of people arrested for possessing pot when they’re stopped by police, according to the official, who said he isn’t authorized to speak about the governor’s plans publicly. Cuomo, a 54-year-old Democrat, will announce the move today at a 1 p.m. press conference, the person said.
Cuomo’s initiative would put New York among more than a dozen states that have taken similar action, including California and Connecticut. A bill that would decriminalize possession of 15 grams (0.5 ounces) or less of marijuana was approved by a New Jersey Assembly committee last month.
New York’s Legislature in 1977 reduced the penalty for possessing 25 grams or less of pot to a violation that carries a fine of as much as $100 for first-time offenders. It’s still a misdemeanor if the drug is viewed in public, which happens when someone is asked to empty his or her pockets during a police stop.
The Cuomo administration official declined to define how much a small amount of pot is. Rich Bamberger, Cuomo’s communications director, declined to comment on the issue. The governor’s decriminalization plans were reported today by the New York Times. (NYT)
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg backed the governor’s decriminalization proposal, citing a directive by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly last September ordering officers to issue violations, as opposed to misdemeanor arrests, to individuals found to possess small amounts of marijuana.
The governor’s initiative “strikes the right balance by ensuring that the NYPD will continue to have the tools it needs to maintain public safety -- including making arrests for selling or smoking marijuana,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
Kelly will be attending Cuomo’s press conference today, Bloomberg said. The mayor is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
To contact the reporter on this story: Freeman Klopott in Albany at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at at [email protected]
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.