Bloomber war on sugar...no war on drugs

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

At the Same Time NYC Obesity Czar Wages War on Sugar, He Plans to Scale Back the War on Drugs

www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/nyregion/mayor-supports-plan-to-change-marijuana-arrest-policy.html?_r=1&nl=afternoonupdate&emc=edit_au_20120604

Bloomberg Backs Plan to Limit Arrests for Marijuana

By THOMAS KAPLAN
Published: June 4, 2012 422 Comments


ALBANY — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said on Monday that he would support a proposal by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to significantly curb the number of people who could be arrested for marijuana possession as a result of police stops.


Mr. Cuomo urged lawmakers on Monday to change state law to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view, an offense that critics say leads to unfair charges against thousands of people who are ordered to empty their pockets during police stops that have proliferated under the Bloomberg administration's stop-and-frisk practice.

Mr. Bloomberg, whose administration had previously defended low-level marijuana arrests as a way to deter more serious crime, said in a statement that the governor’s proposal “strikes the right balance” in part because it would still allow the police to arrest people who were smoking marijuana in public.

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, announced his plans to seek the change in state law at a news conference at the Capitol on Monday. The governor said he would seek to downgrade the possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana in public view from a misdemeanor to a violation, with a maximum fine of $100 for first-time offenders.

The New York City police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, attended the news conference as a way of demonstrating the city’s support for Mr. Cuomo’s proposal. Echoing the mayor, he described the governor’s proposal as a “balanced approach.”

Mr. Kelly noted that when he had been asked in the past about the city’s high number of marijuana arrests, he responded that people unhappy with the arrests should lobby the Legislature to change state law, which he called a better option “than having police officers, New York City police officers, turn a blind eye to the law as it was written and as it is still written.”

“This law will make certain that the confusion in this situation will be eliminated,” he said, adding, “Quite frankly, it will make the application of this law much clearer.”

Mr. Cuomo’s proposal followed a memorandum to officers that Mr. Kelly issued in September clarifying that they were not to arrest people who take small amounts of marijuana out of their pockets after being stopped by the police. Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Kelly said the governor’s proposal was consistent with the city’s directive.

Mr. Cuomo said changing the law was a better approach in the long term, saying, “I think it puts the police in an awkward position to tell them: enforce some laws, don’t enforce other laws.”

“This is nice and clean: change the law, period,” the governor added.

Critics of the Police Department’s marijuana-arrest policies have complained that Mr. Kelly’s memorandum has had little effect. But a city spokesman said that since the commissioner’s memorandum the number of low-level marijuana arrests has fallen by nearly a quarter.

[midjd]

I'm all for it. I think the police in most areas (and particularly NYC) have better things to do than frisk people for small amounts of weed at traffic stops.

I disagree with the sugar tax.

[Gardening Grandma]

What mid said.

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2012 17:49:13 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, announced his plans to seek the change in state law at a news conference at the Capitol on Monday. The governor said he would seek to downgrade the possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana in public view from a misdemeanor to a violation, with a maximum fine of $100 for first-time offenders.

I approve. If you've got the money to buy weed, you've got the money to pay fines/taxes on it.

I do not want government spending tons of money to arrest, prosecute, and jail nonviolent offenders.

Marijuana is no different in my mind than alcohol or tobacco (expect it smells far worse). I feel flipping marijuana from being an insane judicial cost to a revenue stream is a smart tactic, and equivalent to revoking prohibition and just taxing alcohol.

This moves in that direction. The city gains money instead of losing thousands or dozens of thousands of dollars with each individual.

[TD2K]

They are just equalizing the laws. You don't get arrested now if you are caught with a couple of ounces of sugar on you.

[swamp]

All they are doing is deciding to enforce the law as written. Th possession of 25 g of pot is a violation. The use of it in public, not simply having it in your pocket is the misdemeanor. Much ado about nothing.

[weltschmerz]

At the Same Time NYC Obesity Czar Wages War on Sugar, He Plans to Scale Back the War on Drugs
----------------------
So when the stoners get the munchies and head to the fast-food outlets, they'll only be able to order a 16 oz soda with their bacon cheeseburgers and fried apple pies. Or water.
I don't see a problem.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

LOL, Welts...

I don't think that 16 oz will quench the munchies... They will have to return for refills

[Deleted]

Why don't they decriminalize marijuana and get those bath salts off the market? Those seems really bad.

[Jaguar]

Jun 5, 2012 0:22:12 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Why don't they decriminalize marijuana and get those bath salts off the market? Those seems really bad.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

If they decriminalize MJ and slap an extra tax on any drink above 32 oz, cheetos, totinos pizza rolls, and jalapeno corndogs, the govt would have all of their fiscal problems solved!

Wow... I should send this budget plan to Obama.....

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2012 7:58:09 GMT -5 @tbird said:

Jun 4, 2012 18:54:27 GMT -5 @copperpouches said:

I approve. If you've got the money to buy weed, you've got the money to pay fines/taxes on it.

I do not want government spending tons of money to arrest, prosecute, and jail nonviolent offenders.

Marijuana is no different in my mind than alcohol or tobacco (expect it smells far worse). I feel flipping marijuana from being an insane judicial cost to a revenue stream is a smart tactic, and equivalent to revoking prohibition and just taxing alcohol.

This moves in that direction. The city gains money instead of losing thousands or dozens of thousands of dollars with each individual.

I agree 100% - legalize, regulate, virtually all drugs and prostitution, and add a nice tax structure to it.....

Deficit, solved!

and hopefully cut down on a lot of abuses in the sex trade. I mean - it is the worlds oldest profession. Can it be eliminated? Honestly - is it possible? If not, structure it to protect the workers (no minors, no beatings from pimps, etc) and tax the john, income tax the workers.

drugs - similar to alcohol. It's always been easier for HS kids to get a hold of drugs than alcohol. Change that. and tax like crazy.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

Why was this moved to Off-Topic?

I do admit I wanted to post in P&M, but mistakenly put it on YM?

Let's have some consistency here. If anything, it should have been moved to P&M.

[Gardening Grandma]

Jun 5, 2012 8:14:07 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Actually, I think sugar and junk food has done far more damage to our society than has marijuana.

[chiver78]

Jun 5, 2012 8:47:32 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

Why was this moved to Off-Topic?

I do admit I wanted to post in P&M, but mistakenly put it on YM?

Let's have some consistency here. If anything, it should have been moved to P&M.

because it is not YM-related really either. would you like it moved to P&M instead? I can do that for you. I only came in to see where it had been posted and where it got moved to when I saw the lock.

-chiver mod

[973beachbum]

Jun 4, 2012 18:20:00 GMT -5 midjd said:

I'm all for it. I think the police in most areas (and particularly NYC) have better things to do than frisk people for small amounts of weed at traffic stops.

I disagree with the sugar tax.

And we have better things to do with our money than constantly pay to build new/more jails because the ones we have are overcrowded with people who shouldn't be there.

Personally I don't see how nicotine and alcohol are completely legal and marijuana isn't but then again maybe I'm not too bright. IMO they it should be treated just like alcolhol is.