New York City – home to Broadway, skyscrapers, some of the best food on the planet, and now, smoking weed in public?
On any given day, in just the span of few hours, a handful of people can be seen smoking weed on the busy sidewalks of downtown.
Last November, Mayor de Blasio decriminalized low-level marijuana possession, though many New Yorkers have seen that as actual legalization.
You can still get arrested for lighting up in public – as one woman learned when Police Commissioner Bill Bratton saw her and gave her a warning.
Mayor de Blasio introduced a new NYPD policy, which took effect last November 14. It mandates that a person possessing less than 25 grams of marijuana gets a ticket instead of being arrested — as long as they have an ID and no outstanding warrants. But smoking weed is still a crime.
Says de Blasio, “If you’re smoking it in public, we will potentially arrest you.” Depending on the circumstances, cops can issue a warning or make an arrest. It’s up to their discretion.
To learn more, check out this article at The New York Post.