New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton directed officers to stop arresting people carrying small amounts of marijuana and to begin issuing ticket-like summonses instead.
Effective Nov. 19, anyone found with 25 grams (0.88 ounce) or less of the drug will get a summons requiring a court appearance. If found guilty, a violator will face a $100 fine for the first offense and $200 for a second, said Bratton, who joined de Blasio for a news briefing at the department’s lower Manhattan headquarters today.
