When he was running for office last year, candidate Bill de Blasio warned of the “disastrous consequences” low-level marijuana arrests have for both the individuals caught with a small amount of pot, and their families. “These arrests limit one’s ability to qualify for student financial aid, and undermine one’s ability to stable housing and good jobs,” the public advocate’s campaign literature read. Even more troubling, it noted, was the fact that studies showed “a clear racial bais” in such arrests. As mayor, de Blasio swore he would order the NYPD to stop such arrests, but he hasn’t. Low-level pot arrests are actually on the rise in de Blasio’s New York.
Village Voice has the full story.

Hey, Philadelphia! The leaders of the City of Brotherly Love showed some love to cannabis users last session and starting today you will only face a $25 fine if you’re caught with 30 grams or less or less of herb. Get caught smoking weed in public and you’ll have to do nine hours of community service and pay a $100 fine (lower than a public cannabis use ticket in Denver, FWIW).
But you still can’t have more than an ounce, grow plants or sell weed. Posession of more than 30 grams will get you a year and $5,000 in fines. Cultivation is a felony, with 10 to 21 plants getting you a mandatory year in jail and more than 22 plants gets you a mandatory three years.
“Under this policy, police officers will be able to remain focused on more serious offenses,” Councilman Jim Kenny, the bill’s sponsor, said last month. “And many young people will be spared the life-altering consequences of a criminal record, such as limited job prospects, inability to obtain student loans or even join the armed services.”