Manhattan borough presidential candidate Thomas Leighton believes that adults should be free to use marijuana recreationally and medicinally, and vows to halt rising marijuana arrests if elected this November.
“Responsible adults who use marijuana should not be arrested or put in prison,” Leighton states in his campaign literature. “Even though the maximum punishment in New York [under state law] for using or possessing marijuana is … a small fine, pot smokers in New York City are now arrested and jailed instead of … given a summons. This is a radical and costly change from long-standing city policy.”
According to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, citywide arrests for marijuana possession rose from 1,766 in 1990 to nearly 11,000 in 1996. By comparison, arrests for marijuana sales remained virtually the same.
“While I am sure that Mayor [Rudoplh Giuliani] feels that these statistics represent a major accomplishment, the staggering increase in arrests of non-violent marijuana offenders truly represents governmental waste at its worst,” Leighton said. “Such arrests cost the city millions of dollars in police time and court processing costs. They do nothing to protect public health or safety.”
The 46-year-old Leighton is a longtime New York City resident who twice ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Green Party independent candidate. Leighton supporters gathered over 5,000 signatures to place him on the ballot for the upcoming city election.
For more information, please contact Thomas Leighton @ (212) 370-1835 or Aaron Wilson of Partnership for Responsible Drug Information (PRDI) @ (212) 362-1964.