In 2010, New York City spent $75 million in law enforcement expenses for the interdiction, arrest and prosecution of drug crimes. 50,000 of those arrests related to possession of small quantities of marijuana. The cost equated to approximately $1500 per arrest. Most of these arrest pertained to the use or possession of marijuana in public places. Noting parenthetically, that possession of small quantities of marijuana in non-public places in New York City cannot provoke an arrest but merely the issuance of a ticket and a relatively small fine.

Some people are complaining that these arrest, which are often motivated by race is really "collars for dollars" in that investigating police officers are able to generate over-time and enhance their arrest records. It has been noted also that more possessory arrests have occurred in Mayor Bloomberg's administration, then the combined number of arrest is the three prior administrations (i.e., Giuliani, Dinkins and Koch). More troubling, however, is that it is contended that many of these arrest are illegal.  In this regard, radio station WNYC conduct an investigation that appears to produce a conclusion that many of the warrantless searches of people on the streets in New York City are illicit.