Pubdate: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI) Copyright: 2014 Star Advertiser Contact: http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154 Page: A4 Note: New York Times MARIJUANA POSSESSION MIGHT LEAD TO SUMMONS, NOT ARREST The New York Police Department, which has been arresting tens of thousands of people a year for low-level marijuana possession, is poised to stop making such arrests and to issue tickets instead, according to law enforcement officials. People found with small amounts of marijuana would be issued court summonses and be allowed to continue on their way without being handcuffed and taken to station houses for fingerprinting. The change would remake the way city police handle the most common drug offenses and represents Mayor Bill de Blasio's most significant effort since taking office to address the enduring effects of the department's stop-and-frisk practices. Curbing arrests for small-scale marijuana possession has become a cause for criminal justice reform advocates, and this year the new Brooklyn district attorney, Kenneth Thompson, said he would stop prosecuting such cases. But his announcement did not go over well with de Blasio and his police commissioner, William J. Bratton, who vowed to continue making low-level marijuana arrests. Now the de Blasio administration is publicly embracing the notion that such small-scale possession merits different treatment. And with the changes, City Hall is moving to retake control of a politically potent issue that has enormous resonance in black and Latino communities, where the vast majority of small-scale marijuana arrests have taken place. Many details of the changes planned by the de Blasio administration are still being discussed. A clearer picture is expected to emerge this week. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom