Given the task definition and input, reply with output. In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced her office will no longer prosecute most misdemeanor marijuana possession cases. NBC Chicago's Katie Kim reports. (Published Monday, April 20, 2015) 
  
 Cook County will no longer prosecute most misdemeanor marijuana possession cases and will steer many nonviolent felony drug cases in and around Chicago to treatment and away from jail, the state's attorney said Monday — joining the ranks of prosecutors taking similar steps to deal with what they say is an ineffective and expensive war on drugs. 
  
 "The methods in which we are handling low-level drug cases here in Cook County are simply not working," State's Attorney Anita Alvarez told reporters. "Under the current policies and practices we continue to see the same individuals revolving in and out of our criminal justice system with no meaningful impact or outcome and at a significant cost to taxpayers." 
  
 Alvarez did not have any details on how much money the new policy will save the county, but said given that last year her office saw 15,000 misdemeanor marijuana cases and low-level drug cases amounted to 10,000 of the 40,000 felony cases handled by the office, the savings will be substantial as well as help the county address its "drug epidemic." 
  
 Further, she said that because nonviolent offenders charged with low-level felony heroin, cocaine and marijuana possession will be given the opportunity to get into programs and out of custody almost immediately, they will be less likely to lose jobs, housing and custody of their children for the simple reason that they are not sitting in jail for days and weeks at a time. 
  
 Cook County Prosecutor to Try New Approach to Drug Crimes 
  
 Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced her office will no longer prosecute most misdemeanor marijuana possession cases. NBC Chicago's Katie Kim reports. (Published Monday, April 20, 2015) 
  
 Among the changes Alvarez is making is the creation of alternative programs in the hopes of getting people help in shaking addictions that result in repeated arrests, along with a plan to divert low-level juvenile drug offenders to community-based organizations for drug education and mentoring. 
  
 With the announcement, Alvarez is the latest prosecutor to say publicly that current drug laws do little good for low-level offenders, both for those who are arrested and to offices like hers that spend millions of dollars and hours prosecuting the same people over and over. 
  
 "This really is an acknowledgement that the traditional law enforcement remedies for people with drug addictions who act out criminally because of those drug addictions is simply not successful," said Joshua Marquis, a district attorney in Oregon's Clatsop County and a board member on the National District Attorneys Association. "Prosecutors are on the front lines of this, we are sitting six feet from these people in court and we just realized that putting the casual and incidental drug addict is not a good use of money and resources." 
  
 Others have reached the same conclusion. In New York, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson announced in July that he would stop prosecuting most people arrested on low-level marijuana possession charges, saying, "We are pouring money into an endeavor that produces no public safety." Four months later, New York's police commissioner, William Bratton, said that officers who catch people with small amounts of marijuana would issue a summons instead of making an arrest. 
  
 Prosecutors say there is evidence that such efforts are effective. In Seattle, for example, the University of Washington earlier this month released a report that found that participants in a program that is aimed at keeping addicts and prostitutes out of jail and in housing counseling and other programs were 60 percent less likely to be arrested than those in a control group. 
  
 The move resonated with area authorities with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart applauding the policy change and Chicago police calling it a "welcome step." 
  
 "Mayor Emanuel has long believed that reducing penalties for non-violent, low-level drug offenses saves taxpayer dollars and, more importantly, keeps non-violent offenders from a lifetime in the criminal justice system," the Chicago Police Department said in a statement. "The States Attorney's action is a welcome step in the work being done by the City and the County President's Office to reduce sentences for some offenses while focusing on the most dangerous gun crimes. The City's cannabis ticketing initiative has already kept thousands out of jail, and the Mayor looks forward to working with the state to further reform the lopsided sentencing guidelines." 
  
 Illinois NORML also supported the policy shift, noting its impacts on the "inequality between treatment of cannabis consumers and alcohol consumers is costing taxpayers dearly." 
  
 “Today is a good day for Chicagoans and all residents of Cook County. Hopefully this will send a message to law enforcement officers that low level cannabis crimes should not be a priority," Dan Linn, executive director of Illinois NORML, said in a statement. 
  
 Still, some say the move isn't enough. 
  
 "While today's announcement by Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez is a welcome departure from past practices in her office, more needs to be done at the local and state level to address the inequities of our criminal justice system," 
  
 Commissioner John Fritchey said in a statement. "I appreciate that States Attorney Alvarez is finally moving in the right direction by reforming low-level drug possession laws that have not made practical or economic sense for decades. But seven years in office is a long time to finally recognize that our criminal justice system operates unjustly and without accomplishing its stated goals." 
  
 Copyright Associated Press / NBC Chicago ||||| Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said Monday her newly unveiled decision not to prosecute low-level drug crimes isn’t a message to cops to stop making drug arrests. 
  
 At a news conference, Alvarez said her policy is intended to provide treatment for Cook County’s drug abusers. She’s looking to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to cover those costs. 
  
 Asked whether the Chicago Police Department and other police agencies in Cook County should stop arresting people for minor drug possession, she gave an emphatic no. 
  
 “I do want them to continue to do what they’re doing, so we can get these people the services that they need,” Alvarez said. 
  
 “I am not saying they should just stop all arrests [of low-level drug offenders],” she said. “This is giving people a chance — a third, fourth chance, albeit.” 
  
 Diverting drug users to social programs will allow the criminal justice system to focus more on violent offenders, Alvarez said. 
  
 Alvarez also denied her new policy is an attempt to fend off any possible election challenge from a candidate backed by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, an advocate of diverting drug offenders from the criminal justice system. 
  
 “I’m ready for whoever wants to take me on,” she said, adding that her office has been crafting the new policy for about 18 months. 
  
 And Alvarez said she isn’t taking a step toward seeking legalization of drugs. 
  
 “This isn’t being soft on crime at all. I think it’s being smart. And I’m not advocating for legalization or encouraging people at all to be drug users.” 
  
 In a funny moment, Alvarez admitted she wasn’t aware of the irony of announcing her decision on April 20 — the national holiday for pot smokers. 
  
 “April 20 to me is just that, April 20,” she said. “I had no clue what 4-20 meant.” 
  
 (The day gained its distinction because “420″ is slang for smoking marijuana.) 
  
 Under her policy, prosecutors will no longer proceed with misdemeanor charges of possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana for people with fewer than three arrests or municipal citations for similar charges. 
  
 Those with three or more arrests or citations will be referred to “drug school” and have their cases dismissed once the requirements are met. If they don’t complete the school or opt not to go, their cases will be prosecuted. 
  
 Also, everyone who faces the lowest level of felony charges of possession of a controlled substance or marijuana — except those with major violence in their recent criminal backgrounds — will be routed to a county alternative prosecution or sentencing program, including a newly created Drug Deferred Prosecution Program. Class 4 felony drug possession cases — the least serious category — made up 25 percent of Cook County’s felony cases in 2014, according to Alvarez’s office. 
  
 The program will locate treatment and social services for people charged with possession of marijuana; a gram or less of a controlled substance; or five or fewer tablets of a controlled substance, Alvarez said. 
  
 She said Timothy Evans, chief judge of Cook County, will ask judges to direct people into the diversion programs at their bond hearings to keep them out of jail. 
  
 Alvarez said her office will continue its ongoing policy of not proceeding with charges against juveniles for possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana when they have fewer than three arrests or police contacts for similar charges. 
  
 Chicago Police Department spokesman Martin Maloney said Alvarez’s plan is a “welcome step.” 
  
 “Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel has long believed that reducing penalties for nonviolent, low-level drug offenses saves taxpayer dollars and, more importantly, keeps nonviolent offenders from a lifetime in the criminal justice system,” Maloney said. 
  
 Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart also released a statement supporting Alvarez’s policy, saying he “applauds the state’s attorney’s efforts to find a more productive approach to low-level, non-violent drug offenses.” 
  
 Last year, 15,449 misdemeanor pot cases and 9,790 felony drug cases were filed in Cook County. Not all of those cases will be subject to Alvarez’s new policy because some include other serious non-drug crimes. 
  
 Last year, the Chicago Police Department arrested 11,088 people for possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana and issued citations to 4,032 people. Chicago cops started writing pot tickets in 2012 when Emanuel pushed the City Council to approve an ordinance that would allow it. 
  
 Contributing: Jon Seidel ||||| The Cook County state's attorney's office says it is changing the way it prosecutes low-level drug offenses, including dismissal of misdemeanor marijuana cases. 
  
 "If someone is caught with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, the state's attorney's office will no longer prosecute that case," office spokeswoman Sally Daly said Sunday. The program will cover people with fewer than three arrests or citations, she said. 
  
 The office will announce the changes at 10:15 a.m. Monday. Daly said they are part of an overhaul that will also address how the office prosecutes small amounts of such drugs as Ecstasy, cocaine and heroin. 
  
 The changes will include creation of an alternative prosecution program aimed at diverting nonviolent, repeat drug offenders out of the criminal justice system. 
  
 The program, designed for those charged with Class 4 felony possession — currently punishable by up to a $25,000 fine or one to three years in prison, or both — will attempt to address chronic drug use and addiction as a public health issue. Repeat offenders are expected to be linked with social service agencies for treatment rather than face criminal penalties. 
  
 The proposed changes will not affect pending cases, Daly said. 
  
 Last year, Class 4 felony drug possession cases made up about a quarter of all felony cases in Cook County. Prosecutors also saw more than 15,000 misdemeanor cases for small amounts of marijuana, according to the state's attorney's office. 
  
 "We potentially could ask for treatment for those cases," Daly said. "Currently, our big emphasis is pushing toward treatment." 
  
 In 2012, Chicago adopted a marijuana ordinance allowing police to issue tickets of $250 to $500 for someone caught with up to 15 grams of pot. 
  
 While the number of people found in possession of less than 15 grams of pot has remained stagnant from 2013 to 2014, police arrested 3,000 fewer people, opting for citations instead, Chicago police spokesman Martin Maloney said. 
  
 "The state's attorney's action is a welcome step . . . to reduce sentences for some offenses while focusing on the most dangerous gun crimes," he said. 
  
 Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's office applauded the effort "to find a more productive approach to low level, nonviolent drug offenses." 
  
 Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, lauded the changes, noting the sizable racial disparity in the first year of implementing the ticketing ordinance, with more whites being ticketed and more minorities being arrested. 
  
 New bill advancing, aimed to help non-violent offenders A new bill is advancing in Springfield, aimed to help non-violent offenders who can not afford bail. (WGN TV) A new bill is advancing in Springfield, aimed to help non-violent offenders who can not afford bail. (WGN TV) See more videos 
  
 "It sets a certain tone with individuals because so many are afraid to interact with police and don't call police when they should," Linn said. 
  
 The announcement falls on what has become known as "Weed Day," a celebration of marijuana. Daly said the timing was "pure coincidence." 
  
 tbriscoe@tribpub.com 
  
 Twitter @_tonybriscoe |||||

An Illinois county with more people than most states is going to stop prosecuting minor pot cases as part of a major overhaul of how it deals with low-level drug offenses. Officials in Cook County—which includes Chicago, and is America's second most populous with around 5.2 million people—say the goal is to steer repeat offenders toward treatment instead of jail, the Chicago Tribune reports. "The methods in which we are handling low-level drug cases here in Cook County are simply not working," State's Attorney Anita Alvarez told NBC, estimating that her office dealt with 15,000 misdemeanor marijuana cases last year. Under the current system, "we continue to see the same individuals revolving in and out of our criminal justice system with no meaningful impact or outcome and at a significant cost to taxpayers," Alvarez said. The overhaul—which was welcomed by a Chicago police spokesman and the county sheriff's office—also applies to possession of small amounts of drugs including cocaine and heroin, which Alvarez says accounted for around 10,000 of the 40,000 felony cases her office handled last year, the Tribune reports. After she announced the overhaul yesterday, Alvarez said she had no idea of the date's significance for pot smokers, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. "April 20 to me is just that, April 20," she said. "I had no clue what 4-20 meant."