Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Manhattan DA Lightens Marijuana Penalties in New Policy
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced that his office is changing its plea guidelines for marijuana arrests to lighten penalties for first- and second-time offenders, effective Tuesday.
The new approach is expected to help some immigrants avoid penalties that could lead to deportation and comes amid backlash from municipalities and states over President Donald Trump's immigration policies — specifically the use of courts to identify and deport undocumented immigrants. Vance announced that his office is also working on a policy, to be implemented in the spring, to end prosecutions for low-level drug possession. . .