Ken Thompson, the new Brooklyn district attorney, restated Sunday during his inaugural address that he will not prosecute low-level marijuana arrests. During his campaign trail the borough’s first black district attorney promised that he wouldn’t criminally prosecute those who had been caught with less than 15 grams of marijuana, instead opting to issue offenders with a $100 non-criminal fine.
We’re not the only ones who are happy about the announcement. “He can’t pass legislation to legalize marijuana but he can decide who will be prosecuted for it, and I think it’s an excellent way to use his office,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
As Huffington Post points out, the decriminalization of less than 15 grams of pot was a torch that Gov. Cuomo was trying to carry statewide. And while Huff Po claims that he’s now trying to fight for a “less ambitious” medicinal marijuana program, I’d argue that would actually be harder to do.
