In New York City, more people are arrested for marijuana possession than for any other crime, at a cost of $600 million in taxpayer money over the last decade.
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Since 2002, about 500,000 people have been arrested for marijuana possession in New York State, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. The vast majority of those arrests — 440,000 — took place in New York City, where more people are arrested for marijuana possession than for any other offense. Of those arrests during the Bloomberg administration, 87% were of blacks or Latinos.
The Drug Policy Alliance, in conjunction with the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, also found that marijuana arrests have also cost the city $600 million in taxpayer money over the last decade.
Countless people arrested on a marijuana charge have had their lives permanently altered, with many struggling to find or keep employment with an arrest on their record. But public opinion is rapidly changing: Polls show a majority of the country -- 52% -- supports legalization, and 82% support medical marijuana statewide.
Senator Liz Krueger
On Dec. 11, Sen. Liz Krueger stood on the steps of City Hall and unveiled a bill to legalize marijuana in New York State, flanked on either side by politicians and marijuana advocacy groups.
The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) would regulate marijuana much like alcohol is regulated, allowing anyone over 21 to purchase up to two ounces of weed, anyone over 18 to possess it, and hosting a $50 excise tax per ounce.
The bill would also allow anyone to grow up to six marijuana plants at their home.
“Prohibition of marijuana is a policy that just hasn’t worked, no matter how you look at it, and it’s time to have an honest conversation about what we should do next,” Sen. Krueger said. “The illegal marijuana economy is alive and well, and our unjust laws are branding nonviolent New Yorkers, especially young adults, as criminals, creating a vicious cycle that ruins lives and needlessly wastes taxpayer dollars.”
Krueger described the current policies as a “civil rights disaster.”
“I think we will save a lot of money in our prison system, our police system, and our court system, and I think that that’s absolutely a major motivation to why we should treat marijuana the way we treat alcohol,” the Democrat told BuzzFeed.
Alfredo Carrasquillo, Civil Rights Organizer at VOCAL-NY
As a teen, Alfredo Carrasquillo experienced stop-and-frisk firsthand — he was arrested for marijuana possession at the age of 14. Without any outlet or support, the arrest led Carrasquillo into a years-long downward spiral as he struggled through the criminal justice system.
Today, as the civil rights organizer for VOCAL-NY, Carrasquillo conducts trainings with low-income communities of color to train people on advocacy and educate them on their rights, to “help develop leaders and build power,” he told BuzzFeed.
Carrasquillo said he aims to “change the narrative around drugs and drug use in New York City, and educate people on our broken drug laws.” His goal, he said, is to reform the policies to make drug use a health and safety issue, as opposed to a criminalization issue.
“Ultimately we need to come up with alternatives and address the real issues that are causing these crimes and filling up our prisons,” he said.
