New York Spends $75 Million a Year on Marijuana Arrests Though It's Not Technically a Crime

Submitted by dguard on
New York spends $75 million a year to lock up people caught with marijuana, a new study says, even though it's not technically a crime. The report by the Drug Policy Alliance says the NYPD spends that much on 50,000 annual marijuana arrests, in which 86% of those arrested are black or Latino. State law requires people carrying small amounts of marijuana to receive the equivalent of a traffic ticket, but critics say the NYPD arrests and jails them anyway - hurting their job and life prospects.

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Source URL: https://stopthedrugwar.org/news/2011/mar/15/new_york_spends_75_million_year