In the past 11 years, the NYPD spent more than one million hours making more than 400,000 arrests for low-level marijuana possession, a new report has found. The report raises questions about the use of police resources, which could likely be better spent addressing serious crimes in the high-crime neighborhoods where many marijuana arrests occur.

A man was arrested after police said they pieced together his identity from videos posted on YouTube.

SEATTLE — Washington voters legalized recreational pot use on Tuesday, setting up a showdown with a federal government that backs the drug's prohibition.

Initiative 502 would create a system of state-licensed marijuana growers, processors and retail stores, where adults over 21 can buy up to an ounce. It also establishes a standard blood test limit for driving under the influence.

In 1970, the federal government listed pot to be more harmful than cocaine and meth. We now know that isn't true. That's not to say legalizing pot is without risks; it has been shown to impair concentration. But one study found alcohol was by far the most dangerous drug, followed by heroin and crack. Weed rated far down the list. So why do we continue to allow the Nixon administration's hatred of hippies to influence what we think about drug usage today? Nixon budgeted $100 million to fight what he called public enemy No. 1 -- illegal drugs. In 2010, it was $15 billion.

Marijuana Decriminalization: Efforts To Relax Pot Rules Gaining Momentum In U.S. - Catharine Leach is married and has two boys, age 2 and 8. She has a good job with a federal contractor and smokes pot most every day. While she worries that her public support for marijuana decriminalization and legalization could cost her a job or bring the police to her door, the 30-year-old Warwick resident said she was tired of feeling like a criminal for using a drug that she said is far less harmful than the glass or wine or can of beer enjoyed by so many others after a long day's work.