NYPD Expected to Ease Off Arrests for Public Pot Smoking

Starting this September, the NYPD will arrest fewer people for smoking marijuana in public, according to several sources familiar with the matter.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to announce Tuesday that people caught smoking marijuana will be given a criminal summons or a ticket—which carries a fine—instead of getting arrested. However, the policy won't apply to those with an open warrant, and police could still arrest people for behavior that appears to endanger the public, like smoking while driving.

Some advocates for decriminalizing the use of marijuana are less than satisfied with the expected changes.

"The carve-out around verifying IDs and addresses is particularly problematic, considering the overlap in populations that can have a hard time securing identification and are also often targeted for marijuana enforcement, such as immigrants, people who are homeless, and youth," Melissa Moore, of the Drug Policy Alliance, told WNYC.

De Blasio asked the police department to review its enforcement policy following criticism over racial disparities. A WNYC report in February found 86 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession and smoking in New York City during 2017 were black and Hispanic.

Arrests have come down since de Blasio took office, and police do give more tickets now to those caught possessing marijuana. Additionally, the District Attorneys of Manhattan and Brooklyn have both announced their intention to stop prosecuting many cases of marijuana possession and smoking in public. 

Late Monday night, New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker told reporters that his department's study on recreational marijuana, which was commissioned by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, would recommend legalizing the drug.