Cuomo Proposes Discriminalizing Marijuana

Stop and Frisk activists have achieved some very important progress. Not only have they gotten a lot of sympathy in the media, this is now translated to political success. Cuomo, in order to address the disparate impact stop and frisk searches have, has decided to propose legislation that decriminalizes public possession of small amounts of marijuana. Those caught with small amounts of it at the most would get misdemeanor charges and a small fine. As reported by the Guardian:

"Civil rights attorneys, drug policy reform advocates and legal experts – who argue efforts at policing marijuana plays a crucial role in driving the number of stop-and-frisks – said Cuomo is taking a crucial step in the right direction but were quick to add that their efforts to reform NYPD stop-and-frisk policy are hardly over.

"This will not for a minute reduce the concerns and the criticisms regarding the NYPD's out of control stop-and-frisk policies," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberites Union. "We applaud it but we know better than to pack up our advocacy tools and go home as a result of this."

As noted by the Guardian, ending Stop and Frisk is not just a grass roots effort. Its gotten major support from policy makers, lawyers, and academia who are concerned about the devastating effects that having a criminal record has on non violent people whose only "crime" is possessing small amounts of marijuana. These people, after getting convicted, will not be able to find work and become wards of the state. It costs a massive amount of tax money to convict people of marijuana use (the most commonly used illegal drug) this is a price states simply cannot afford over a long period of time as it is a major waste of taxpayer resources. Its good to see politicians coming around to that. I'm sure it will take a lot of work, but eventually New York State will pass Cuomo's legislation.