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Manhattan DA's office drops more than 3,000 open marijuana cases

JacksinPA

JacksinPA

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-than-3000-open-marijuana-cases-idUSKCN1LS2ID

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Wednesday dropped more than 3,000 open marijuana smoking and possession cases dating back to 1978, saying the action would serve justice and address racial disparities in the prosecution of marijuana offenses.

Vance moved to vacate 3,042 outstanding warrants and dismiss the underlying charges before New York City Criminal Court Judge Kevin McGrath. The judge said the cases must be sealed within 90 days.

The district attorney’s decision applies to misdemeanor and violation cases in which a warrant was issued because the defendant failed to appear in court. It does not apply to any cases where a defendant was convicted, or to more serious charges like selling marijuana.
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At last some common sense comes to the war on drugs.
 
JacksinPA said:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-than-3000-open-marijuana-cases-idUSKCN1LS2ID

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Wednesday dropped more than 3,000 open marijuana smoking and possession cases dating back to 1978, saying the action would serve justice and address racial disparities in the prosecution of marijuana offenses.

Vance moved to vacate 3,042 outstanding warrants and dismiss the underlying charges before New York City Criminal Court Judge Kevin McGrath. The judge said the cases must be sealed within 90 days.

The district attorney’s decision applies to misdemeanor and violation cases in which a warrant was issued because the defendant failed to appear in court. It does not apply to any cases where a defendant was convicted, or to more serious charges like selling marijuana.
======================================
At last some common sense comes to the war on drugs.
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It is called clearing the calendar and has nothing to do with justice. Dismissing 40 year old minor misdemeanor and violation charges that will never see the light of day in a courthouse anyway, is not justice. It is reduction of paperwork.
 
OldFatGuy said:
It is called clearing the calendar and has nothing to do with justice. Dismissing 40 year old minor misdemeanor and violation charges that will never see the light of day in a courthouse anyway, is not justice. It is reduction of paperwork.
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Your statement means you don't know justice when you see it. Yes, it is a reduction in paperwork for sure, but it is also justice because it removes the effected individuals from jeopardy by the state. They were charged with victimless crimes, an unjust action. This delivers justice, and it was delivered by a principled public servant, a rare commodity.
 
Thoreau72 said:
Your statement means you don't know justice when you see it. Yes, it is a reduction in paperwork for sure, but it is also justice because it removes the effected individuals from jeopardy by the state. They were charged with victimless crimes, an unjust action. This delivers justice, and it was delivered by a principled public servant, a rare commodity.
Click to expand...

Rhetorical childishness. It wasn't Cy Vance's decision. He is no more principled than any other politician, just another ego to be stroked, and for you a liberal hero even tho he is no hero. The Administrative Judge of NY County made the decision, just as he has called the shots ordering no arrests for low level nuisance crimes that clog the courts with revolving door justice. You don't get to ascribe your "high" thoughts to actions based on practicalities. Your vision of "victimless crimes" never entered the process. Your partisanship rules, not your not your self vaunted vision. "Out damn spot, out!"

Before you mouth off again, you need to actually examine those dismissed warrants. Despite media reports, less than 10% were solely for low level proscribed substance crimes. 90% were for combinations of multiple crimes, from drug possession in combination with turnstile jumping, to intoxicated and causing public disturbances. Muggings, pickpocketing, robbing the dead, prostitution, vandalism, minor burglaries, and so on. These are warrants where no one showed up to answer the prosecution in courts. More than 60% were against perpetrators using false id or no id, i.e. Jane and John Doe. Warrants on the record for 40 years. Who are you kidding? :spin::rofl
 
OldFatGuy said:
Rhetorical childishness. It wasn't Cy Vance's decision. He is no more principled than any other politician, just another ego to be stroked, and for you a liberal hero even tho he is no hero. The Administrative Judge of NY County made the decision, just as he has called the shots ordering no arrests for low level nuisance crimes that clog the courts with revolving door justice. You don't get to ascribe your "high" thoughts to actions based on practicalities. Your vision of "victimless crimes" never entered the process. Your partisanship rules, not your not your self vaunted vision. "Out damn spot, out!"

Before you mouth off again, you need to actually examine those dismissed warrants. Despite media reports, less than 10% were solely for low level proscribed substance crimes. 90% were for combinations of multiple crimes, from drug possession in combination with turnstile jumping, to intoxicated and causing public disturbances. Muggings, pickpocketing, robbing the dead, prostitution, vandalism, minor burglaries, and so on. These are warrants where no one showed up to answer the prosecution in courts. More than 60% were against perpetrators using false id or no id, i.e. Jane and John Doe. Warrants on the record for 40 years. Who are you kidding? :spin::rofl
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Thanks for clarifying--Vance is a scoundrel, but the Administrative Judge is the one delivering the justice.
 
Thoreau72 said:
Thanks for clarifying--Vance is a scoundrel, but the Administrative Judge is the one delivering the justice.
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This has nothing to do with justice. It is clearing the calendar, nothing more. Justice is a subterfuge, for a long over due administrative clean up. There is no justice in eliminating a warrant for a fake name that been of record for decades.

Vance is many things, but he is no scoundrel. His intents are honorable, just typical. He wants to do good, he's just incompetent, bumbling and typically ego stroking.

What is your excuse?
 
Thoreau72 said:
Thanks for clarifying--Vance is a scoundrel, but the Administrative Judge is the one delivering the justice.
Click to expand...

While this is great news, it's not 'justice'.

Breaking the law and being charged is justice. Whether you agree with the law or not, it's still the law.

That said, it's not just clearing paperwork either. It's adjusting to current times and realizing the law itself is no longer just.
 
JacksinPA said:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-than-3000-open-marijuana-cases-idUSKCN1LS2ID

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Wednesday dropped more than 3,000 open marijuana smoking and possession cases dating back to 1978, saying the action would serve justice and address racial disparities in the prosecution of marijuana offenses.

Vance moved to vacate 3,042 outstanding warrants and dismiss the underlying charges before New York City Criminal Court Judge Kevin McGrath. The judge said the cases must be sealed within 90 days.

The district attorney’s decision applies to misdemeanor and violation cases in which a warrant was issued because the defendant failed to appear in court. It does not apply to any cases where a defendant was convicted, or to more serious charges like selling marijuana.
======================================
At last some common sense comes to the war on drugs.
Click to expand...

If having X is a victimless act (non-crime?) then how is selling X to a willing buyer not also a victimless act (non-crime)? That alone, is why the more limited 'war on drugs' makes no sense. The only logical reason for making the sale of X illegal/harmful is that the possession of X is illegal/harmful - surely the prosecutors are not so naive as to beleive that most who possess X made/grew it themselves. If you are sanctioning (decriminalizing?) the possession of X you are, by definition, increasing the demand for X and therefore encouraging those offering X for sale.
 
OldFatGuy said:
This has nothing to do with justice. It is clearing the calendar, nothing more. Justice is a subterfuge, for a long over due administrative clean up. There is no justice in eliminating a warrant for a fake name that been of record for decades.

Vance is many things, but he is no scoundrel. His intents are honorable, just typical. He wants to do good, he's just incompetent, bumbling and typically ego stroking.

What is your excuse?
Click to expand...

Yes, to a person who does not give a damn about justice, it is entirely likely that such a person would not be able to understand or appreciate when justice is delivered.
 
holbritter said:
While this is great news, it's not 'justice'.

Breaking the law and being charged is justice. Whether you agree with the law or not, it's still the law.

That said, it's not just clearing paperwork either. It's adjusting to current times and realizing the law itself is no longer just.
Click to expand...

If it was, once upon a time, just, how did it become unjust? How is it no longer a just law? How did the law lose its claimed legitimacy?
 
Thoreau72 said:
Yes, to a person who does not give a damn about justice, it is entirely likely that such a person would not be able to understand or appreciate when justice is delivered.
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I doubt you'd recognize justice if she slapped you in the face. Clearing bureaucratic records is not justice. It is clearing bureaucratic records, nothing more, nothing else. Clearing the Calendar of abandoned cases is an administrative option for any court.
 
Thoreau72 said:
If it was, once upon a time, just, how did it become unjust? How is it no longer a just law? How did the law lose its claimed legitimacy?
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It still has its legitimacy until it is changed or ended. This law is considered unjust by many because of the changing times. Just like alcohol during prohibition.
 
holbritter said:
It still has its legitimacy until it is changed or ended. This law is considered unjust by many because of the changing times. Just like alcohol during prohibition.
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The interesting part is that it took just a few years for the country to recognize that the Volstead Act was a huge mistakes, causing far more problems than it solved. In about 14 years, the mistake was repealed.

With the drug prohibition, we are 104 years into the prohibition, and this status quo is defended by those with bureaucratic interests. Career bureaucrats NEED the prohibition for job security and other reasons (like Iran-Contra) and fight any efforts to change the status quo.
 
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