NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New Yorkers caught with small amounts of marijuana will soon be issued summonses instead of being arrested under a new policy announced on Monday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton made the announcement on Monday afternoon.
The new policy will mean people caught with less than 25 grams of marijuana on them "may be eligible" to receive a summons in lieu of being arrested. Bratton said the policy change would take effect on November 19.
Someone with an outstanding warrant or caught smoking pot in public would still be subject to arrest, Bratton said.
Mayor de Blasio said the change should result in fewer unnecessary arrests, which should ease the burden on police officers as well as on young people.
"A summons is not going to impact their future in the same way as an arrest would," de Blasio said.
A first offense would result in a ticket of up to $100. A second offense would result in a fine up to $250.
Law enforcement officials told the New York Times that the policy change is the latest and most significant outgrowth of de Blasio's effort to address the effects of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.