BY MICHAEL HAYNE

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Ever since Colorado and Washington approved measures this past November to legalize and regulate small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, many other states are waking and baking up and smelling the herb. Although still considered an illegal substance by the federal government, states no longer seem willing to blindly follow the Fed's harsh and irrational lead.

New York is the latest state to relax its very costly and irrational laws with regards to marijuana. According to the Daily Intel, those caught with small amounts of marijuana (white kids from Jersey suburbs in Washington Square Park, anyone?) will no longer have to spend the night in jail. Rather,it seems they will be issued a desk appearance ticket to return to court at a later date.

"It's consistent with the law, it's the right thing to do, and it will allow us to target police resources where they're needed most," said Mayor Bloomberg in announcing the shift during his state-of-the-city address. He also backed Gov. Cuomo's push to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot.

Perhaps because marijuana could lead to big gulp sodas?

Although this is certainly a very welcoming change in attitude on part of Mayor Bloomberg, many civil rights groups would like for hims to extend the same thinking with regards to his Stop-And-Frisk policy.

"It works," said the mayor of Stop and Frisk, and it's not going to stop. "I understand that innocent people don't like to be stopped. But innocent people don't like to be shot and killed, either."

Click here for Bloomberg's entire speech.