Marijuana Arrest Crusade, Racial Bias and Police Policy in New York City: 1997 – 2007
April 2008. This paper explores the New York City (NYC) marijuana arrest epidemic of the last decade. From 1997 to 2006, the New York City Police Department arrested and jailed more than 353,000 people simply for possessing small amounts of marijuana. This was eleven times more marijuana arrests than in the previous decade, and ten times more than in the decade before that. Through deconstructing the most recent statistical data and complemented with interviews from the NYPD and other authorities, this paper documents the reasoning behind the massive increase of arrests for smoking marijuana in public view (MPV).

An Analysis of Alternatives to New York City's Current Marijuana Arrest and Detention Policy
October 2007. During the 1990s, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) instituted a policy of arresting and detaining people for minor offenses that occur in public as part of their quality-of-life (QOL) policing initiative. This paper examines the pros and cons of the current policy and compares it with possible alternatives including: arrest and issuing of a desk appearance ticket (DAT); issuing of a non-criminal citation (violation); street warnings; and toleration of public marijuana smoking. The paper recommends that the NYPD change to routinely issuing DATs to reduce detention for marijuana violators that will help reduce the disproportionate burden on people of color associated with the current arrest and detention policy.

Testimony by Professor Harry G. Levine Regarding Marijuana Arrests in New York City
May 2007. Testimony by Queens College Sociologist Harry Levine regarding the high number of marijuana possession arrests in New York City, and the collateral consequences of this police enforcement policy.

Life Sentences: The Collateral Sanctions Associated with Marijuana Offenses
This paper discussed the various collateral sanctions stemming from marijuana arrests. The paper finds that collateral sanctions are a vast expanse of the law, where the punishment is anything but tailored to the specific offense or the offender. As a result, what may appear to be a minor offense (e.g., personal possession of a small amount of marijuana) results in a disproportionate penalty, and one that bears little if any relationship or rationality to the offense.

The Race/Ethnic Disparity in Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests in New York City
February 2007. This article examines the growth in marijuana misdemeanor arrests in New York City (NYC) from 1980 to 2003 and its impact on blacks and Hispanics. Arrest data indicate that during the 1990s the primary focus of quality-of-life (QOL) policing became smoking marijuana in public view (MPV). By 2000, MPV had become the most common misdemeanor arrest, accounting for 15% of all NYC adult. Most MPV arrestees have been black or Hispanic, and have been more likely to be detained prior to arraignment, convicted, and sentenced to jail than their white counterparts. In light of the racial disparities, this paper recommends that the NYPD consider reducing the harshness of treatment by routinely issuing Desk Appearance Tickets.

Graph: The Race/Ethnicity Disparity in Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests in New York City Update of analyses through 2006
February 2007. This addendum to The Race/Ethnic Disparity in Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests in New York City contains several graphs and tables, including: Adult Arrests by Charge Type and Year, NYC 1980-2006; NYC Adult Arrests by Charge Category, 1980-2006; Race/Ethnicity of Adult MPV Arrestees by Year, NYC 1980-2006; Disposition of Adult MPV Arrestees by Race/Ethnicity and Year, NYC 1980-2006; Adult MPV Arrests by Quality-of-Life (QOL) Priority, NYC 1980-2006; and Adult MPV Arrests by Borough, NYC 1980-2006

Reefer Madness: Broken Windows Policing and Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests in New York City, 1989–2000
2007. This study finds that New York City’s experiment with misdemeanor MPV arrests—along with all the associated detentions, convictions, and additional incarcerations—represents a tremendously expensive policing intervention. The focus on MPV has had a significant disparate impact on African-American and Hispanic residents. This study further shows that there is no good evidence that it contributed to combating serious crime in the City.

Smoking Marijuana in Public: The Spatial and Policy Shift in New York City Arrests, 1992–2003
August 2006. During the 1990s, the New York Police Department (NYPD) greatly expanded arrests for smoking marijuana in public view (MPV). By 2000, MPV accounted for 15% of all arrests. This paper’s findings suggest that current levels of MPV arrests in NYC may not be justifiable, at least based solely on the purpose of QOL policing, and accordingly suggest the NYPD seriously consider less stringent measures for public marijuana smokers.

Retail Marijuana Purchases in Designer and Commercial Markets in New York City: Sales units, weights, and prices per gram
September 2006 (AUTHORS COPY). This paper documents the bifurcation of the market for commercial marijuana from the market for designer marijuana in New York City. Ethnographic staff recruited marijuana purchasers who used digital scales to weigh a purposive sample of 99 marijuana purchases. Results indicate clear differences in price per gram between the purchases of commercial (average $8.20/g) and designer (average $18.02/g) marijuana. Findings indicate clear divisions between commercial and designer marijuana markets in New York City. The extent that these differences may be based upon different THC potencies is a matter for future research.

Policing and Social Control of Public Marijuana Use and Selling in New York City
2006. This article analyzes the history of enforcement strategies by New York City police to socially control marijuana use and sales in public locations. Primary focus of marijuana policy makers and marijuana enforcement activities has always been directed towards those activities occurring in public locations. Three different historical eras of enforcement policies in New York City are explored: (1) Marijuana included under statutes as a narcotic (same as heroin and cocaine) (1950-1974), (2) Marijuana “decriminalized” and enforcement limited (1975-1995), and (3) Marijuana decriminalized, but quality of- life enforcement arrests large numbers of marijuana smokers (1996-present).

Distinguishing Blunt Users from Joint Users: A Comparison of Marijuana Use Subcultures
2006. This paper presents quantitative findings from a mixed-methods ethnographic and sample-survey investigation of marijuana use and smoke-delivery devices (“Blunts” or “Joints”) among NYC youth. Ethnographers targeted for recruitment peer groups of marijuana users ages 17 through 35 in typical marijuana use settings. The gestalt of the findings indicates that Blunts use is a distinct practice, associated with a distinct subculture, from Joints use.

Efficacy & Impact: The Criminal Justice Response to Marijuana Policy in the US
August 2005. This policy brief measures the efficacy and the impact of our national drug control policies. Law enforcement has been at the center of federal spending on criminal justice responses to drug use for decades. Leading national indicators of drug use (the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse/National Survey on Drug Use and Health) and drug violations (arrest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report) will show that 1) there is no clear relationship between drug arrests and drug use, and that 2) the impact of increased arrests, convictions and incarcerations of people for marijuana offenses has significant and measurable “collateral consequences” on communities and individuals.

Crimes of Indiscretion: Marijuana Use in the United States
2005. Federal marijuana laws that rely primarily on criminal penalties and law enforcement are an ineffective policy tool to control the use and sale of marijuana. This comprehensive marijuana arrest and use report and analysis includes: State-by-state marijuana arrest and use data; County-by-county arrest data; Comprehensive marijuana sales data and sales arrest data; Detailed data and graphical information regarding marijuana arrests and use in regards to gender, race and age; information on state marijuana penalties, extensive historical background information examining marijuana policy-making in the United States circa 1972.

The War on Marijuana: The Transformation of the War on Drugs in the 1990s
2005. In order to provide a framework for assessing the role of marijuana enforcement in the criminal justice system, this paper conducted a national analysis of marijuana offenders for the period of 1990 to 2002. This includes an assessment of trends in arrest, sentencing, and incarceration, along with an evaluation of the impact of these developments on marijuana price and availability, and the use of crime control resources.