New York mayor and NYPD back marijuana decriminalisation
proposal  Proposal partly a reaction to NYPD's controversial
stop-and- frisk tactics, which have seen sharp increase in
civilian stops New York Governor Andrew Cuomo New York governor
Andrew M Cuomo announced legislation that would make penalties
for private and public possession of small amounts of marijuana
the same. Photograph: Hans Pennink/Reuters  New York City mayor
Michael Bloomberg and NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly have backed
legislation proposed by governor Andrew Cuomo that would reduce
the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana in public
view from a crime to a misdemeanor.  Cuomo's proposal is an
attempt to reduce the number of people exposed to a criminal
charge as a result of the city's controversial stop-and-frisk
tactic, which has seen a massive increase in the number of stops
over recent years.  The issue has emerged as major point of
contention as the city prepares for an upcoming mayoral race and
has prompted a federal class