ALBANY — Albany County District Attorney David Soares is closing the book on low-level marijuana offenses, and opening his mind to the possible legalization of recreational pot.

Soares, who campaigned in 2004 championing reform of the state's harsh Rockefeller drug laws, will as of Dec. 1 no longer prosecute anyone accused of possessing up to 2 ounces of marijuana, a B-level misdemeanor that carries a maximum of three months in jail, or unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation akin to a traffic ticket.

"We've been feeling the need to make this change for quite some time," Soares told reporters Thursday after announcing the policy change at a news conference at the Albany County Judicial Center.

Soares made it clear that the policy change should not be seen as license to smoke pot. The office will still prosecute low-level charges where someone is smoking in the open air, in a vehicle and/or in front of children.

The fourth-term Democrat, who currently serves as president of the District Attorneys Association of New York, said his office is facing more harmful threats from the use of heroin and fentanyl.

"This, I felt, could be the appropriate thing to refocus our efforts, our energy and our resources to deal with greater threats to us," Soares said. Prosecuting the low-level pot cases is a "waste of resources, and we can be putting those resources to address things that are really impacting the health and safety of our community."

Soares said he would ask judges to dismiss pending cases involving the low-level offenses.

He noted that people with prior convictions on those charges can apply to the courts to have their convictions sealed. The district attorney will also expand his office's policy on driving while intoxicated prosecutions — which includes mandatory minimum penalties that defendants must accept before taking plea deals — to include cases in which a motorist is charged with driving with their ability impaired by drugs.

Soares, who clashed with area police departments early in his tenure but has in recent years become highly supportive of them, indicated he made the policy change without first informing police officials.

"I didn't go out seeking or polling partners in law enforcement in 2004; I still don't do that," Soares said. "I do what I believe the constituents in Albany County ... want, and their interests are the interests that I hold in higher priority."

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said he agreed with Soares' policy change. "It's a sign of the times," he said. "Violations and B misdemeanors waste a lot of resources."

Officer Steven Smith, spokesman for the Albany police department, said in an email, "Our officers are going to continue enforcing laws and exercise their discretion to ensure that our community remains safe."

Beau Duffy, a spokesman for State Police, said the agency would decline comment.

Defense attorney Cheryl Coleman, a former Albany County prosecutor and City Court judge, said she was "completely unimpressed" by Soares' shift.

"This is the guy who ran on a platform to reform Rockefeller drug laws but they systematically send first-time drug offenders to prison for $50 drug sales," Coleman said Thursday. "He's never practiced what he preaches. I'll believe it when I see it."

In 2017, the city of Albany and towns of Bethlehem, Colonie and Guilderland had 1,042 low-level marijuana cases that would not have been prosecuted had the new policy been in place.

Soares said people charged with trafficking or selling marijuana or with carrying greater quantities of pot can still face prosecution on misdemeanor or felony charges.

In recent months, Soares embarked on a tour of communities around the county to discuss the matter, holding meetings in Albany, Berne, Guilderland, Cohoes and Bethlehem.

The state has decriminalized minor marijuana possession and has legalized medical marijuana. Following the lead of nine states and the District of Columbia, New York appears poised to legalize recreational use, which Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo now supports.

Asked whether he supports legalized recreational use of marijuana, Soares initially hedged, saying, "I'm the district attorney: I have the burden of proof, and not the luxury of an opinion."

Soares eventually expressed a willingness to support "ending this war on pot" through legalization.

"I would support a fully well-thought-out, regulated industry," the district attorney said. "Thus far, what I've seen in different communities are things that work out well and things that don't work out well. I think that New York state, having been a leader in so many other vast enterprises, we have an opportunity to do it right. And I hope that our lawmakers will take that opportunity to learn from the experiences of other states."

Soares said the street value of 2 ounces or less of marijuana would depend on where it came from. That amount of pot imported from Colorado or Oregon — where the product has a higher concentration of THC, the chemical that causes euphoria — would cost around $200 to $250.