It'll remain illegal to smoke, sell, or possess marijuana in New York State, however Albany County District Attorney David Soares announced Thursday that effective December 1st; low-level cases will no longer be prosecuted.
This includes those that posses two ounces or less of marijuana.
Those charged in the past will have the opportunity to clear their record through a "clean slate" initiative.
Cases of smoking in public, behind the wheel, or in the presence of children will still face prosecution.
“As the war on marijuana comes to an end, the District Attorney’s Office has an important role in play in the process. In order to ease the transition into market regulated marijuana, we will be adopting a new policy on how to deal with low-level marijuana cases in courts throughout Albany County,” commented DA David Soares. “We will also be strengthening our vehicular crimes DWI policies to include Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, to best serve the public safety needs of our county residents and the thousands of drivers who traverse the many thoroughfares in and out of our jurisdiction on a daily basis.”
Soares says the new policy will allow his team to concentrate their efforts on fighting opioid drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
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