New York police officers defy order to cut marijuana arrests

Nearly half of people charged with marijuana posession were reportedly not displaying the drug when they were stopped
The Guardian (UK) / New York World (US)
Friday, March 30, 2012

Police officers in New York are "manufacturing" criminal offenses by forcing people with small amounts of marijuana to reveal their drugs, according to a survey by public defenders. Nearly half of New Yorkers picked up for small amounts of marijuana possession in recent months were not displaying the drug before they were stopped, the study shows, despite an order by New York police chief Ray Kelly that officers should not charge people in such circumstances.