Carrying small amounts of pot in public might stay something that can get you arrested — Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to decriminalize small amounts of weed seems to be in flux.
Cuomo suggested earlier this month, for the first time, that the penalty for carrying small amounts of marijuana should be just a ticket, not an arrest.
Right now, the penalty for those caught with 25 grams or less of marijuana is a violation with a maximum fine of $100. But if the marijuana is in public view, it’s considered a misdemeanor crime, and can mean an arrest.
Critics of the police say cops stop people, mainly minorities, and ask them to empty their pockets, revealing the pot to be in public view — and then they’re arrested.
Lawmakers are only in session until Thursday, and the New York Times reported that Republicans are reportedly blocking the proposal in the last few days of the legislative session.
“Nothing that we have left, frankly, is that urgent that it can’t take more time, and, frankly, wouldn’t be better with more time,” Cuomo said in an interview with former Gov. David Paterson.
Senate majority leader Dean Skelos told the Times, “We do not support decriminalization.”
