San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced Monday that his office will wipe out more than 9,000 marijuana-related convictions in an unprecedented step following California’s cannabis legalization more than two years ago. Gascón last year teamed up with Code for America — a nonprofit focused on using open-source technology to improve government — to find […]
marijuana arrests
N.J. mayors threaten to ban weed dispensaries if lawmakers don’t meet their demands
The mayors of New Jersey’s two biggest towns won’t allow marijuana dispensaries in their cities unless they are happy with how the legalization bill addresses previous weed convictions. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop joined a handful of other town leaders from across the state Wednesday to call for stronger social justice […]
Despite marijuana’s increasing legalization and acceptance, arrests soar in Philly Suburbs and South Jersey
Corey Thornton admits he gave little thought to the marijuana in his car as he drove along Germantown Pike near the Plymouth Meeting Mall in March. He was heading home to Philadelphia, where police have essentially decriminalized marijuana possession — no longer arresting thousands a year for pot but issuing a like number of $25 civil […]
Most People Won’t Be Taken Into Custody For Smoking Cannabis In Public, Under New D.C. Policy
D.C. police say they will take fewer people into custody when they are caught using marijuana in public, and instead cite them the way they would someone caught for a moving violation. The new policy was announced late Friday by Mayor Muriel Bowser and Chief Peter Newsham. It says that most arrests for the public […]
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Instructs NYPD To Stop Arresting People Smoking Marijuana
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told top brass at the city’s police department to stop arresting people who are caught smoking marijuana in public, according to a City Hall aide. Currently, smoking in public can lead to arrest, while possession of small amounts of marijuana can lead to a summons. This weekend, […]
Despite NYC’s Lenient Pot Policy, This Shocking Marijuana Arrest Statistic Persists
Four years after New York City unveiled a new marijuana enforcement policy, lawmakers say data shows racial disparities persist in the marijuana arrest capital of the world—and blasted the NYPD for saying it’s due to complaints from communities of color. In 2014, the city unveiled a new policy whereby officers issue a summons instead of carrying out […]
Despite Being Legal, Arrests for Marijuana in the Nation’s Capital Significantly Increase
Arrests for the public use of marijuana in the District nearly tripled in 2016 and are on track to remain high in 2017, public records show. More than 400 people were arrested in 2016 for public consumption of marijuana, according to D.C. police arrest records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Records show […]
2015 Marijuana Arrest Stats Were Lowest in 20 Years
Arrests for simple marijuana possession in the United States fell to nearly a two-decade low last year, according to new statistics released Monday by the FBI. The number of arrests for marijuana possession in 2015 — 574,641 — is the lowest number since 1996. It represents a 7 percent year-over-year drop, and roughly a 25 percent drop from […]
