New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared his support for the decriminalization of marijuana possession less than a week after proposing a ban on super-sized sodas.
The New York Times reports:
Mr. Bloomberg, whose administration had previously defended low-level marijuana arrests as a way to deter more serious crime, said in a statement that [Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s] proposal "strikes the right balance" in part because it would still allow the police to arrest people who were smoking marijuana in public.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, plans to hold a news conference at the Capitol on Monday to announce his plans to seek the change in state law. Administration officials said the governor would seek to downgrade the possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana in public view from a misdemeanor to a violation, with a maximum fine of $100 for first-time offenders.
During the press conference held today, Cuomo said, "The problem is the law, and the solution is to change the law."
While some New Yorkers may welcome the Bloomberg administration’s newly relaxed stance on the controversial issue of marijuana arrests resulting from New York’s "stop-and-frisk" policy, the citizens of Gotham are strongly opposed to another item on the Bloomberg agenda: the soda ban.
As the Washington Examiner reported today, Bloomberg’s proposed ban on large sizes of sugary drinks is less popular than Russian President Vladimir Putin.