High Time

NYC Mayor de Blasio Tells Cops to End Arrests for Pot Smoking

Any changes will take place at the end of summer.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told the city’s police chiefs that it’s time to stop arresting people who are caught smoking marijuana in public, CNN reports. The mayor reportedly told the NYPD this weekend to issue summonses for smoking pot in public instead of making arrests. The NYPD has already set up a working group to review its marijuana enforcement procedures, but the mayor made it clear this weekend that ending public marijuana smoking arrests is one of the changes he wants. However, any changes to NYPD’s policy on smoking in public would not take effect until the end of the summer. De Blasio’s call to end arrests comes after Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said he would end prosecution of marijuana possession and smoking cases, starting in August.