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New York State Health Department Study Calls For Marijuana Legalization


A long-awaited report on marijuana will recommend that New York legalizes the drug, the state’s top health official said Monday.

While the report has not yet been finalized, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said its authors reached their conclusion after a thorough review of the legal, medical and social implications of legalization.

“We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons,” Zucker told reporters at an appearance in Brooklyn. “When we were done we realized that the pros outweighed the cons.”

Zucker’s boss, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has long expressed concerns about legalization, last year calling marijuana a “gateway drug.” He has since softened his stance and ordered the legalization study earlier this year amid pressure from legalization supporters, including his Democratic primary opponent, actress Cynthia Nixon.

Do not count on legal weed in the Big Apple just yet, however. Lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn for the year this week, suggesting it will be 2019 at the earliest before legalization is considered in Albany.

The growing list of states that have moved to legalize recreational marijuana use includes California, Colorado and two of New York’s neighbors, Vermont and Massachusetts.

Several Democrats including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Nixon have said any legalization effort in New York must be accompanied by proposals to expunge the criminal records of thousands of people arrested for possessing small amounts of the drug dating back decades.

Individuals on all sides of the marijuana debate said they wanted to hear more about what Cuomo’s administration plans to propose.

John Coppola, the executive director of the New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers said legalization must incorporate efforts to prevent underage abuse and educate the public about the risks of addiction and misuse.

“Their plan must incorporate all of the public health implications of legalization and how negative implications might be mitigated,” he said.

Cuomo’s political opponents dismissed the announcement as a diversion. Zucker’s remarks, announced shortly before his appearance, came on the same day as the start of a federal corruption trial of a former Cuomo economic development insider and that former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner announced she would challenge Cuomo as an independent in November.

“There are serious questions to be answered about marijuana; they should be answered by serious people without a political agenda,” said Katy Delgado, the spokeswoman for Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro. “The only thing this governor cares about is his political career.”

New York has a medical marijuana program allowing patients with certain qualifying conditions to use non-smokable forms of pot. On Monday, Zucker said health officials were planning to expand the program to include anyone who has received a prescription for opioids.

(AP)



4 Responses

  1. Does anyone with healthy children think legalization of recreational marijuana is a smart thing to allow? Does anyone not see the irony of the New York State Health department leading the way in this program? Those of us on the anti vaccine side of the fence, long ago lost confidence in public health officials and public health policy and have found it to be thoroughly corrupted by industry interests pushing mandatory vaccination in order to create captive markets for their product. The anti vax advocates have long railed against the pharmaceutical industry claiming that the vaccines are behind the exponential rise in autoimmune and neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism,ADHD, OCD,Depression,anxiety disorders etc. which in turn create additional captive markets for pharmaceuticals in what appears to be a circular business model. It does not seem reasonable to separate the move to recreational marijuana from the other ideologies that have been advocated by Cuomo and Deblasio. Conversion therapy – forbidden.Gender Reassignment surgery – Good. Same gender marriage – lets have it. Mixed gender bathrooms – go for it. Homeless psychiatric patients all over the place – turn those parks into open air shelters. Quality of life crimes – no longer a crime. Heaven forfend however if you want to use plastic bags,straws, or go over 25 miles an hour in your car. I hope the frum community will be able to support candidates that truly represent us and our values and interests besides the narrow interest of government grants, and clean up this left wing mess.

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