They will not have criminal record for possession. The limit for personal possession will now be the equivalent of 25 grammes, or a small sandwich bag, which is worth about $300 (£180) and can make around 60 joints. A sandwich bag containing oregano was used to illustrate the allowance.
Some 28,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession in New York last year but Mr de Blasio came to office vowing reform.
His move is surprising, however, as he has seen the effects of marijuana abuse first hand when daughter Chiara, 20, admitted last year she became dependent on the drug after becoming depressed.
Among the mayor’s critics was Sergeants’ Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins who said: “Basically, what he’s doing is equating an illegal substance to a parking ticket.”
Sam Pirozzolo, vice president of the NYC Parents’ Union, said the new rules “send a very mixed message to our children”. But the civil rights campaigner Rev Al Sharpton agreed with the new approach.
“I feel that the police ought to concentrate on things of importance rather than things that are now being legalized in many places around the country.”
In the mid-term elections last week voters in Washington DC, Oregon and Alaska approved measures legalizing marijuana, joining Colorado and Washington states.
