NYPD will curb busts for THC oil possession

Police brass have agreed to chill on arrests for THC oil, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, treating it the same as regular pot possession enforcement — with a ticket.

There is an exception, however, criminal charges will be filed if the vape pen oil is found to contain the same chemicals as K2, an illegal synthetic drug made from dried plants that are sprayed with mind-altering chemicals, the NYPD said at a City Council hearing on Wednesday.

Assistant Commissioner for Legal Affairs Ann Prunty said there was no uniformity in the way the city’s five district attorneys were charging people for possessing THC, so the NYPD is creating a policy whereby THC oil will be charged with a marijuana ofThe fense. NYPD’s actions are in response to criticism from City Councilman Rory Lancman, who has chastised the department for arresting people for possession of THC oil, even as it decriminalizes lowlevel marijuana possession.

Lancman said during the hearing this week that dozens of people have been arrested for possessing THC oil, while people caught with marijuana have been given summonses. Between Sept. 4 and Nov. 12, for example, 23 people were arrested for having THC oil.

“THC oil for all practical purposes is marijuana,” Lancman said. “It’s the ingredient that lets marijuana do what it does. So, it’s an artifice to treat the element different from marijuana, especially since it doesn’t produce any kind of different sensation. If we’re not criminalizing smoking for personal use, why would we criminalize the essential element that makes it up?”