New York city is finding out that when you take you spotlight off cannabis, arrests drop significantly. Since legalization was announced, the police force have seen a 95% drop in cannabis-related arrests.
Per Ganjaprenuer
There were just eight cannabis-related arrests in New York City during the second quarter of 2021, according to a report from Filter. In the first quarter of the year—prior to the state’s legalization bill taking effect—there were 163 cannabis possession arrests in the Big Apple.
The eight arrests in the city were for a newly-created legal category created under the legalization law that includes “unlawful possession” violations—possessing more than the three-ounce legal limit—to “criminal sale” felonies.
Criminal court summonses in the city also fell from 3,700 in the first quarter to, again, just eight. Summonses are issued when someone is issued a ticket for cannabis possession but don’t pay them, which can result in arrest warrants if the offender doesn’t appear in court.
The sharp decline may also be due to provisions in the state’s adult-use law that specifically allows cannabis consumption wherever cigarette smoking is allowed; most state legalization laws still prohibit public consumption of cannabis.
