Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo wants to decriminalize marijuana for people who purchase and use  the drug.

In 2014, over 620,000 people across the U.S. were arrested for possession of marijuana. This figure represents more than one in twenty arrests for that year and equates to 1,700 arrests per day. That’s more than one arrest per minute, according to Cuomo.

“This past year, almost 90 percent of marijuana law violations were for possession and not sale,” the report says.

Cuomo says the over-prosecution of marijuana possession has significant fiscal impacts. In 2010, New York City spent $75 million to arrest and jail individuals for the possession of mostly small amounts of marijuana.

An estimated 90 percent of those individuals had no subsequent felonies.

“The illegal sale of marijuana cannot and will not be tolerated in New York State, but data consistently show that recreational users of marijuana pose little to no threat to public safety,” the report says. “The unnecessary arrest of these individuals can have devastating economic and social effects on their lives. Individuals can miss work, be fired, establish a record that prevents them from finding work in the future, and spend time in jail awaiting trial if they are unable to post bail.”

The report says decriminalizing marijuana would continue the governor’s commitment to reduce the number of nonviolent individuals who become needlessly entangled in the criminal justice system.

Gov. Cuomo says he will advance legislation amending the state’s marijuana drug laws by removing the criminal penalties that too often result in the over-prosecution and jailing of non-violent individuals.

“This measure reflects the national trend and dramatic shift in public opinion. Whereas other states have sought the full legalization of marijuana, this legislative change will specifically affect individual users and not reduce penalties on those who illegally supply and sell marijuana.”