Marijuana
Arrests with PL 221 (Offenses Involving Marijuana)
as Top Charge, by County, by Race for New York State
2000-2018 DCJS [Division of Criminal Justice Services] Data,
Compiled by NYCLU [New York Civil Liberties Union]
Note that these numbers do not include arrests where the top charge was PL 221.05 (violation level possession), as DCJS does not get data for this subsection. Similarly, these numbers do not include arrests where PL 221 was not the top charge.
PL 221 Arrests_NYCLU (Updated).pdf
I. Statewide Arrests for Offenses Involving Marijuana
II. Counties with Highest Enforcement and Racial Disparities for Offences Involving Marijuana
OPPONENTS OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION FORGET HOW BAD THE STATUS QUO IS
APRIL 29, 2019 | NYCLU
New Yorkers have favored legalizing marijuana for years, and state leaders are finally getting the message.
But we aren’t there yet, and success is far from certain. In one sign of opposition, legislators in many of the most populous counties outside New York City are either considering or have passed legislation that would bar the sale of marijuana, even if it is legalized by the state. County leaders considering opting out should remember just how harmful prohibition has been on people in their communities, particularly people of color.
A vote to opt-out is a vote to continue the failed status quo
The statistics show that black and Latino people are 10 times more likely to be arrested for a marijuana related offense in New York, even though all groups have been found to use marijuana at similar rates.
In eight of the counties considering opting out, black people are arrested at disproportionate rates compared to whites. In those counties, black residents make up 12 percent of the population but 50 percent of those arrested for marijuana.
And in terms of total number of arrests, no counties outside of New York City can top Long Island’s Suffolk and Nassau Counties with 29,000 and 18,000 arrests respectively. Both counties are considering opting out.
Click on the image to read the article
10 Things to Know about Marijuana Legalization in New York
April 30, 2021 | O’Connell & Arnowitz, Attorneys at Law
New York State Office of Cannabis Management
Local Government Opt-out
The War on Marijuana in Black and White
Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests - ACLU June 2013
UNJUST AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL 60,000 Jim Crow Marijuana Arrests in Mayor de Blasio’s New York
The NYPD’s RaciallyTargeted Enforcement of Marijuana Possession Continues, 2014 - 2016
Marijuana Arrest Research Project, New York, NY | Drug Policy Alliance, New York, NY (July 2017)
"These [marijuana possession] arrests stigmatize, they criminalize, they create a permanent record. It's not fair, it's not right, it must end, and it must end now."
- Governor Andrew Cuomo 2013 State of the State Address
“A great injustice is being perpetrated by members of the New York City Police Department on the people of this city.... I urge all five district attorneys to publicly state that they will not prosecute anyone charged with marijuana possession for personal use other than for a violation.
The hideous part of all of this is that studies show that whites are the greater users of marijuana, not blacks or Hispanics. It is black and Hispanic youths who are being arrested and end up with criminal records, destroying many of their already limited opportunities for getting jobs and achieving a better life. This is unacceptable in a society that believes it is devoted to justice and fairness.”
- Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch 2012
Reefer Madness: Broken Windows Policing and Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests in New York City, 1989–2000.
Bernard E. Harcourt and Jens Ludwig University of Chicago Law School (December 2006)