Gov. Cuomo looks to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot to cut down on stop-and-frisk arrests

Jeannie Herer

By  / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference in Albany, N.Y., on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. Cuomo says the proposal to raise the minimum wage won't happen this year because there is a "broader and deeper divide" over the issue than even the legalization of same-sex marriage he championed. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
MIKE GROLL/AP  – In order to cut down on stop-and-frisk arrests, Gov. Cuomo is looking to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.
 
GOV. Cuomo plans to ask lawmakers Monday to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot in a move to reduce stop-and-frisk arrests, it was reported Sunday night.
“This proposal will bring long overdue consistency and fairness to New York State’s Penal Law and save thousands of New Yorkers, particularly minority youth, from the unnecessary and life-altering trauma of a criminal arrest and, in some cases, prosecution,” an administration official said in an email to The New York Times.
The NYPD made 50,684 arrests last year for possession of a small amount of marijuana, more than for any other offense, according to an analysis of state data by Harry Levine, a sociologist at Queens College.
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