More State Political Parties Endorse Marijuana Legalization
Delegates at Democratic party conventions in two separate states voted to add marijuana legalization planks to their official platforms this weekend.
Delegates at Democratic party conventions in two separate states voted to add marijuana legalization planks to their official platforms this weekend.
Back on April 19th, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer shocked the political world when he announced he was introducing his own bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. While many publications wrote glowing headlines stating the bill was going to be introduced on 4/20 – the nation's unofficial weed holiday – here we are, two months later, and there's still no bill.
While cannabis legalization is often cited as one of the fastest moving policy changes in American politics, one state has been taking the slow and steady approach for nearly two decades.
Vermont notched its most recent victory in January, becoming the first state to legalize cannabis for adult use through the legislature. Eight other states and Washington, D.C. have only done so through voter referendum.
For a long time New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been passionately anti-pot, even calling marijuana a "gateway drug" last year. But a study he commissioned in January has reached another conclusion and will recommend that the state legalize recreational weed.
New York moved a significant step closer to legalizing recreational marijuana, as a study commissioned by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will recommend that the state allow adults to consume marijuana legally, the governor’s health commissioner said on Monday.
The announcement by the commissioner, Howard Zucker, signals a broad turnaround for the administration of Mr. Cuomo, a second-term Democrat who said as recently as last year that marijuana was a “gateway drug.”
Among the big, blue states, New York has been wildly backward on marijuana law. That may finally be changing. Governor Andrew Cuomo – who as recently as last year touted the prohibitionist myth that marijuana is a "gateway drug" – is about to receive a report from the state's health commissioner recommending a framework for legal, regulated marijuana in New York.
The health commissioner’s comments reflect a growing consensus among New York government officials. Last month, the New York Democratic Party adopted a resolution that endorsed that regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has made statements revealing an evolution in his views on cannabis reform in recent weeks. The governor, who formerly referred to marijuana as a “gateway drug,” said the “facts changed on this issue and the facts changed quickly.”
In January, Vermont became the ninth state to legalize marijuana—and the first to end cannabis prohibition through an act of lawmakers, rather than a ballot initiative. But with the law set to take effect on July 1, questions remain about how the recreational system will actually function.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Saturday quickly endorsed legislation that would stop the federal government from enforcing anti-marijuana laws in states that have legalized the drug.
Murphy, who is pushing to legalize cannabis in New Jersey for recreational use, was one of 12 governors signing a letter to congressional leaders of both parties in support of the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act.
SYNOPSIS
Revises requirements to authorize and access medical marijuana; establishes requirements for institutional caregivers; revises permit requirements for alternative treatment centers; and establishes additional legal protections for patients and caregivers.
get your FL Office of Medical Marijuana Use card!
get your MD Medical Cannabis Commission card!