On Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that his office has established a working group to draft legislation for adult-use cannabis legalization. The development comes about a month after the state Health Department released a report determining that the pros of legalization outweigh the cons.
In a move announced this afternoon, New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker filed emergency regulations adding any condition for which an opioid could be prescribed as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana.
The new rule opens up medical cannabis as an option for thousands of patients dealing with pain, who might otherwise need to take opioid medications. Plans for the new rule were announced last month, but today’s news means the condition qualifies for medical marijuana immediately.
One of the more restrictive medical marijuana programs in the United States might soon allow the use of MMJ as an alternative to opioids, a move that could provide a much-needed boost to the state’s cannabis businesses.
The New York health department plans to develop regulations giving people the choice of enrolling in the state’s medical cannabis program if they have been prescribed opioids, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said Monday.
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.”