New York City has recently, finally, taken a huge step away from its established, strict marijuana laws with an announcement that it will now handle low level cannabis possession arrests more like they would a parking violation rather than as a serious crime. The fact that you can actually go to prison for possessing something that grows from the Earth is completely absurd in my opinion, so this news is very exciting, it means we are one step closer to being able to freely and openly make our own decisions!
Before this announcement was made the marijuana related arrest rates in the city had been heavily climbing and therefore filling crowded jails –and even prisons, with nonviolent marijuana users….
This change in New York Law Enforcement is following a nationwide trend of legalization and decriminalization. Four states (Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Washington) and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana to smoke, buy and posses and 19 states have legalized medical marijuana.
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