The NYPD, Minorities & New York's New Pot Policy With Kassandra Frederique

On November 10th, 2014 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton announced a new pot policy that would no longer allow the NYPD to arrest people caught with less than 25 grams of marijuana in their possesion. Although, some would agree that this new pot policy, which went into effect on November 19th, 2014 is a step in the right direction - many drug decriminalization advocates are not convinced that New York's new policy will, as Bill de Blasio said, "reduce the number of unnecessary arrests for minor marijuana possession and put an end to an era where many of young New Yorkers were being arrested and saddled with criminal records for minor violations."

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the majority of these young New Yorkers are Black and Latino men and in this year alone they accounted for 86% of New Yorkers arrested for minor marjiuana possesion. So, what kind of impact will New York's new policy have on minority communities and the number of racially biased arrests? 

Here to answer that question and walk us through New York's new pot policy is Kassandra Frederique the New York policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance. The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the nation's leading organization promoting drug policies that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.