NYPD

Mayor Bill de Blasio Wants Police to Stop Arresting Pot Smokers

What to Know

  • Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement saying he wants the NYPD to stop arresting people for smoking pot in public
  • Police should instead hand out summonses, the mayor said
  • The mayor said the city should plan for the eventual reality of marijuana legalization

Mayor de Blasio says he wants the NYPD to stop arresting people for smoking pot in public and instead hand out summonses.

In a statement released Sunday, the mayor says the city must plan for the eventual reality of marijuana legalization and the "public safety, health and financial consequences involved."

“With marijuana legalization likely to occur in our state in the near future, it is critical our city plans for the public safety, health, and financial consequences involved," the statement said. "While I still have real concerns we must work through, it isn’t difficult to see where this is headed and any responsible policymaker must prepare for that eventuality. My focus now will be helping to craft the critical regulatory framework that must come before legalization is realized.”

De Blasio says he still has his concerns, but that he must now focus on crafting the regulatory framework before legalization.

The mayor's remarks came less than a week after he directed the police department to overhaul its marijuana enforcement policies in the next 30 days.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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