NYC Is the Marijuana Arrest Capital of the World

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a major report Tuesday showing that New York City is now the marijuana arrest capital of the world.

Harry Levine and Deborah Small, the report authors, found that between 1998 and 2007 New York City police arrested 374,900 people for low-level, misdemeanor marijuana offenses. That is more than eight times the number of arrests on the same charges for the previous ten-year period between 1988 and 1997, when 45,300 people were picked up for having small amounts of marijuana.

Researchers also found stark racial disparities in who NYPD officers chose to arrest for marijuana offenses. The report found that 83 percent of those charged in these cases were black or Latino, despite equal marijuana use between whites and non-whites. The discrepancy, the researchers asserted, is because NYPD officers stopped and frisked blacks and Latinos at a dramatically higher rate.

Once someone is convicted of a drug offense, they can lose college financial aid, food stamps, public housing and, in some cases, even voting rights. Money wasted and lives ruined ...and for what?

Mayor Bloomberg has admitted to smoking marijuana and even said he enjoyed it. It is shameful that Mayor Bloomberg is encouraging his police force to use their precious time and resources for such a destructive and ineffective policy.

Comments

[liberalghost]

03:23 PM on 05/01/2008

Yes, but think of all the terrorist groups and criminal gangs whose livelihoods depend on the continued illegal drug trade. And where would children get their drugs if the corner dealer was put out of business? Think of all the prison guards who'd be laid off. And the private prisons that would close down.

You guys must be anti-capitalism.

[LAJonathan]

01:21 PM on 05/01/2008

Gosh, to think the money and time saved to carry these arrests out, and take them through the system would have been better spent elsewhere. This would be a great place to start to shift priorities to the things that matter.

[BusGreg]

12:50 PM on 05/01/2008

So what else is new. The war on drugs, started in 1914 and having continued ever since, has not done anything except propel the US to the world's number one in jail population. 80% of the public support medical marijuana and 60% plus support the decriminalization of cannabis (ticket only, no jail) for adult responsible use, yet the government keeps wasting money, resources and time on a non winnable war. Remember alcohol proihibition? Plenty of booze going round, no taxes collected and Al Capone making it big boot-legging liquor. Result = 21st ammendment, prohibition repealed!
The war on pot is also non winnable, based on lies and mis information. It has cost the US taxpayers close to half a trillion dollars since 1972 and Nixon's escalation on the war on drugs. Holland had the right idea by decriminalizing pot and making it BORING. Holland has about 60% of the druguse we have. For more info check out the pot blog at: http://www.busgreg.info/ where you find links to plenty of info, including the complete Shafer Report, cpommissioned and hidden by Nixon.

[LivingStardust]

12:35 PM on 05/01/2008

Big fascism has to support the bloated private prisons industry, don't ya know. Since the DOJ refuses to prosecute real criminals like Bush Co and PNAC, they need to make them up by treating a health care issue like a crime.

[JimR]

12:14 PM on 05/01/2008

Agree. It's a ridiculous policy.

[burque]

11:48 AM on 05/01/2008

Completely agree. I've had two friends hit for marijuana usage, one on their person, the other in a urine test. While the official punishment was light, it has totally disqualified them from their professions as they had skilled labor (one lost merchant mariner's license, other DQ'd from military). Granted they screwed up, but they are now in dead end minimum wage jobs, and they would still have their jobs if they had multiple DUIs rather than busted for smoking a joint.

I remember a while back in NYC cops had a monthly quota of drug busts they had to meet, and pot smokers were low hanging fruit. The cops weren't very excited about it, but they felt they had to meet their arrest numbers. Not sure if this policy is still in place.

[desmirl]

11:39 AM on 05/01/2008

And the arrest is made by a blue-suited badge-wearing thug who goes home and abuses alcohol, his wife and his kids.