But that midsummer start date comes too late for the people still being dragged into court on the charge now. College student Allain Laporte, 24, was pinched by police in April for smoking marijuana on a bench in Union Square. His office said it expected marijuana prosecutions in the borough from roughly 5,000 per year to about 200. "The ongoing arrest and criminal prosecution of predominantly black and brown New Yorkers for smoking marijuana serves neither of these goals." For now, only medical marijuana is legal in New York, under strict rules with licensed sales.

Source: ABC News June 02, 2018 13:14 UTC