NYPD Drops ‘Buy-and-Bust’ Operations

The New York City Police Department has been ordered to terminate a program they’ve implemented called “buy-and-bust.”  Officers from the narcotics unit of each borough were called into the department headquarters and given explicit instructions to cease and desist the staple operation.

Bill de Blasio, the current mayor of New York, has reportedly called for an end to the predatory practice that has become a staple for local law enforcement. The cornerstone of his mayoral campaign relied heavily on his desire and promise to put an end to discriminatory cannabis arrests.

Disproportionate arrests of black and Hispanic people inspired the shift in practice with the aim to reduce the overall number of arrests of minorities. This year alone, about 86 percent of all arrests for cannabis possession were primarily issued to people of color with low-level, nonviolent drug violations.

Many people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the mayor’s decision to halt the “buy-and-bust” program for various reasons ranging from distrusting his motives to the fear that the end of the practice will result in more danger and crime for residents in the state.

Ed Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association said, “If the current practice of making arrests for both possession and sale of marijuana is, in fact, abandoned, then this is clearly the beginning of the breakdown of a civilized society.”

Supporters of de Blasio’s move towards less life-crushing policies that affect minorities aren’t worried about the highly-dramatic response to the obviously progressive shift in regulations.

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Al Sharpton in an interview with the New York Post. “People can deal with what they think the politics of this are. I’m more impressed with the policy.”

Skit from Saturday Night Live:

Have you ever had problems with the cops because of cannabis? Tell us in the comments.