New York has dropped behind the majority of other states with fully comprehensive medical marijuana programs and legal recreational marijuana use. However, the topic has finally been presented to the state assembly. Is New York about to legalize recreational marijuana? Back on January 11th, 26 people testified before a committee to discuss New York’s future pertaining to legalizing recreational marijuana.
Here were the most pertinent and compelling testimonies:
Dr. Julie Holland, MD
Dr. Julie Holland has been a practicing psychiatrist for over 2 decades. Nine of which as the attending physician of the psychiatric emergency room at New York’s Bellevue Hospital. To start her testimony in favor of legalization, she stated that all Americans take drugs on a daily basis to change their consciousness. Drugs such as “caffeine, nicotine, anti-anxiety meds, antidepressants, sleeping pills, pain medications, alcohol and even sugar”. She likened the sugar cycle of crash and cravings to a “muted imitation” of a cocaine high.
Dr. Holland certainly stressed that cigarettes and alcohol kill Americans at a massive rate, compared marijuana which is non-lethal. She also pointed out while cannabis is detected in urinalysis, more harmful synthetic cannabinoids such as Spice or K2 are not and are being used by active members of the military. Therefore, she says that “our current drug policy is irrational.”
She says that a broad legalization of cannabis in the state is necessary to combat substance abuse, especially in light of the opioid epidemic which affects the entire nation.
Kassandra Frederique
The State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance cited some disturbing statistics. In 2016, the police arrested 23,000 New Yorkers for low-level marijuana possession at a rate of approximately 60 arrests a day. Of those arrests, 85 percent were minority millennials, ie. Black and Latino individuals under the age of 30.
Her colleague Alyssa Aguilera emphasized that this racial disparity was akin “A Tale of Two Cities with marijuana.”
David Holland, Esq.
As grim as the situation is now, David Holland, Esq., Executive and Legal Director of Empire State NORML, is in great hopes about the progress that has been made toward repealing prohibition.
Holland went on to say that there is no evidence to support the “gateway theory” which comprised the bulk of prohibitionists’ main source of propagandist rhetoric. “The FDA openly acknowledged in 2015 that there is no statistical basis to support that bogus theory.”
Additional speaker, Sheriff Barry Virts, who is the incoming President of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, disagrees. In his own testimony, he shared the personal story of his son, who is currently recovering from a heroin addiction. Sheriff Virts testified that the first drug that his son experimented with was marijuana.
However, he conceded that he and his subordinates would abide by any decision the legislature makes.
“Whatever you enact,” he told the Assembly, “we’ll enforce.”
During his testimony, David Holland expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that New Yorkers cannot vote on this issue directly. They must instead rely on the decisions of state legislators. However, as the world just witnessed in Vermont, state legislation is not necessarily disastrous for the movement to legalize marijuana. So is New York about to legalize recreational marijuana as well? With these powerful testimonies from experts in their respective fields influencing the dialogue, New York could be the next state to legalize.
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2 comments
Do not be ridiculous, New York will not be the next state to legalize. New York is the most corrupt state in the nation and the governor is insane. Not a progressive state. Way behind on medical and no doubt New Jersey will legalize ahead of New York. A ridiculous article.
Looking to the ETF