Bloomberg has decided to reduce possession of small amounts of marijuana from misdemeanor to violation. Those caught with small amounts of marijuana, as long as they have IDs and have no warrants out for their arrest will simply be released from the police precinct and given a ticket to appear in court. by miggslives Why would Bloomberg do this? Its a big waste of resources to imprison people simply for being caught with pot. I'm not an advocate of drug use, but simply arresting small time drug users gives them criminal records. It makes it much harder for them to be able to find work, and can make it impossible for them to receive federal financial aid.
An overzealous drug enforcement simply turns young people into permanent wards of the state. Its a huge cost to taxpayers and potentially increases crime as criminalization of these young people ends up with them permanently being on some of government dole, whether its the prison system, rehab system, SROs, SSI, or other programs.
Screenwriter. Historian. BA in History and certificate in Latin American studies from Cornell University. MA in English Education from Columbia University. Very interested in public policy.