New York becomes the 23rd state with medical marijuana

[RainDog]

New York State Senators spoke about their journey, their growth in understanding, that medical marijuana is, in fact, a reality whose legality impacts people of all age groups when it is legally available.

Democrat Diane Savino closed the Senate session. She noted the FDA has refused to address the issue of rescheduling marijuana, to study the issue and correct the Federal law that currently exists. Savino chided the failure of federal bureaucracies charged with these issues. If they would look at cannabis dispassionately, scientifically, that action would've made the long struggle with this bill unnecessary.

She lauded Senator Bill Larkin, a Republican whose vote made it possible to move the bill forward (noted here in this forum in an earlier post, btw.)

In explanations for votes, Senator James Sanders, of Queens, expressed his dismay that veterans were left out of this bill by the failure to cover PTSD, and voiced his concern that the bill could be overturned based upon law enforcement concerns rather than scientific ones, as he voted for the bill.

Senator Kathleen Marchione demonstrated ignorance regarding the relative safety of marijuana and compared it to heroin, while opining that New York state must not turn in to California, whose medical marijuana legislation has so few restrictions it is de facto legality. She said she agonized over this bill. She is a conservative. And yet she voted yes because of the health benefits for those who suffer.

49-yeas 10 - nays



The Assembly has passed bills in support of medical marijuana five times, most recently in May, only to see the measures die in the Senate, where Republicans were cool to the idea.


The State Health Department would have up to 18 months to establish regulations governing medical marijuana, such as identifying the entities permitted to dispense it, though it is possible that doctors may be trained and allowed to recommend the drug before then. Initially, five organizations — both businesses and nonprofits — would be allowed to dispense marijuana, each at up to four locations around the state. The drug would be grown in New York and sales of it would be taxed at 7 percent.

http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Is-NY-next-to-join-the-medical-marijuana-movement-263881441.html

"This legislation strikes the right balance," Governor Cuomo said. "Medical marijuana has the capacity to do a lot of good for a lot of people who are in pain and suffering, and are in desperate need of a treatment that will provide some relief. At the same time, medical marijuana is a difficult issue because there are risks to public health and safety that have to be averted. I believe this bill is the right balance, and I commend the members of the Legislature who worked so hard on this measure."

To be prescribed medical marijuana, a patient must receive a certification from a licensed practitioner who must register with the Department of Health and be qualified to treat the serious condition for which the patient is seeking treatment. The serious conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed are cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication on intractable spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, Huntington’s Disease, or as added by the commissioner by DOH.

To ensure medical marijuana is in the hands of only individuals in need and their health care provider, Registry Identification Cards will be issued by DOH to certified patients. The card would contain any recommendation or limitation on form or dosage imposed by the practitioner as well as other information. The Department would be able to suspend or revoke the card of a patient who willfully violates any provision of the new law.

Health insurers would not be required to provide coverage for medical marijuana.

[RainDog]

1. I can't post this in LBN because... you heard it here first, folks

I listened to the live stream.

Congrats, New York!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Congrats to New York and New Yorkers. nt

[NightWatcher]

3. This is not a win. This is a highly restrictive law that will help very few, if any.

Just decriminalize it already.

[RainDog]

4. Yes. It is a win.

Even though it is highly restricted.

I noted problems with New York pols regarding this issue here yesterday and before.

But a limited bill is better than nothing, and paves the way to amend the bill to include PTSD, etc.

Of course, it also paves the way to allow law enforcement to triumph over science, as was a demand of Cuomo.

They have been trying to pass legislation on this issue for two decades.

As I've noted before - the northeast seems to be nearly as racist as the south - as demonstrated in their laws regarding this issue. The northeast is no longer a leader in this nation for many progressive reforms.

That's just the way it is.

To claim this is not a win spits in the face of every child with epilepsy, every person with MS, every person who can use cannabis to help them deal with cancer and its treatments. Please do not be so callous.

[NightWatcher]

5. I'm not callous. I hope to benefit from medical cannabis

What I have heard from my network of people in the MMJ community is that this is only a win on paper but it will be tough for sick people to find relief.

I hope people can get the help they need.

[RainDog]

6. I realize this is happening

I was enraged to find that Wisconsin voted for medical marijuana yet made the bill so onerous in application that doctors cannot prescribe cannabis for children with epilepsy - which is the reason it was passed in the first place, because, finally, the drug warriors faced the American people and had to say they were too callous to give a shit about children who might die without this medicine.

One child did die because of Wisconsin's law...that was then named after her.

But I am telling you, there would not have been ONE Republican vote for this if not for the reality that they knew they had to respond to the NATIONAL conversation, among parents, asking why our govt. cannot respond to the reality that cannabis has medical value.

What the Senator who brought this bill forward had to say is the real issue regarding all of these state laws - and what she said is that the federal govt. has to change the scheduling of marijuana.

We now have a LARGE majority of states that agree that marijuana has medical value.

The agencies in D.C. that continue this stance will be REVILED by the American public if more children die because of their intransigence. And they should be reviled.

As Republicans in New York mentioned, when discussing this bill - they have had to make a mental journey. They have to undo the decades of lies they have been told by agencies they thought were trustworthy.

The entire nation sees, now, that the DEA, the FDA and the NIDA are untrustworthy agencies who are actively working to harm the American people by their refusal to change the schedule for marijuana.

People around the nation were, for the most part, like Gupta until Feb. of this year. They trusted these agencies were not outright liars. People have learned they were wrong and these agencies are, in fact, outright liars regarding marijuana.

So, this is something people have to adjust to - to see the reality is what Gupta said it was - and those agencies who have been tasked with protecting the American people have, instead, worked to harm them by lying about the medical value of cannabis.

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance to overcome - people don't want to believe that the DEA, the FDA and the NIDA are a bunch of lying scumbags.

But the evidence is clear.

Of course, the BIGGER reality is that Americans have supported medical marijuana for more than 15 years by more than 70% in poll after poll. Politicians ignored this because they relied upon liars to tell the truth. No one asked what particular issues should be covered by medical marijuana, however, and that's what states are trying to work out.

Ten states have tried to go with hemp-cannabis (CBD-only) but that's, again, a demonstration of the stupidity of politicians because THC also has medical value.

They don't want to admit how they have harmed the American people all these years.

They don't want to admit they accepted lies as fact and that the claims made against their positions, for all these years - since Nixon, were true, while those who are supposedly the leaders of this nation were only the upholders of lies.

So, I'll take this as a victory because it's taken so long.

And I will take this victory to say that federal agencies need to either respond to this issue, or those within those agencies who are hindering progress need to be fired and replaced by people who aren't afraid of the truth.