NYC Mayor Wants The Police to Stop Making Arrests For Smoking Pot

 This is Mike Bloomberg, Ex-Mayor of NYC. Pot might be the only thing the ex-mayor and the new mayor agree on

NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio says he wants the New York Police Department to stop arresting people for smoking pot in public and instead hand out summonses.

In a statement released Sunday, the Democratic mayor says the city must plan for the eventual reality of marijuana legalization and the "public safety, health and financial consequences involved."

De Blasio says he still has his concerns, but that he must now focus on crafting the regulatory framework before legalization.

The mayor's remarks came less than a week after he directed the police department to overhaul its marijuana enforcement policies in the next 30 days.

The mayor said in a statement:

With marijuana legalization likely to occur in our state in the near future, it is critical our city plans for the public safety, health, and financial consequences involved. While I still have real concerns we must work through, it isn’t difficult to see where this is headed and any responsible policymaker must prepare for that eventuality. My focus now will be helping to craft the critical regulatory framework that must come before legalization is realized.

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