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Velázquez on News that BK and Manhattan DAs are Ceasing Marijuana Prosecutions

May 15, 2018

Velázquez on News that BK and Manhattan DAs are Ceasing Marijuana Prosecutions

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding news that the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorneys will no longer prosecute marijuana offenses:

"Recent media reports and analyses have laid bare what many in our communities have known for some time: namely, if you are a person of color, you are much more likely to be arrested for low-level marijuana offenses. For so many young people, this unfair treatment can be their first exposure to the law enforcement system and mean long term consequences, like missing school or work or a criminal record.

"These recent announcements are a welcome step. I also call on Mayor De Blasio and the NYPD to go further and see marijuana arrests drastically reduced. I also believe our state must begin taking legislative steps toward decriminalization. For too long, enforcement of these laws has disproportionately and negatively impacted people of color. That must end."