The report’s findings further prove the need for standardization of marijuana offenses. One million hours, over 440,000 arrests, at a cost over $75 million a year for taxpayers in the last decade is unconscionable. We cannot continue to let minor offenses like these ruin the future of innocent New Yorkers, particularly Black and Latino youth. The NYPD’s aggressive stop and frisk policies have led to a weakening of the relationship between the police department and communities of color. It is time to stop wasting millions of dollars in law enforcement resources on a failed policy, while detracting from the prosecution of serious crimes. Link to report:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/One_Million_Police_Hours.pdf