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EarthFirst

(2,877 posts)
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 03:44 PM Jun 2018

New York's Health Department Plans to Recommend Legalizing Marijuana

Source: NYT

ALBANY — A study commissioned by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will recommend that “a regulated, legal marijuana program be available to adults in the state,” the New York State health commissioner said on Monday.

The announcement by the commissioner, Howard Zucker, comes after a fast evolution in the thinking of Mr. Cuomo, a second-term Democrat who said as recently as last year that marijuana was a “gateway drug.”

In more recent months, however, Mr. Cuomo has said that “facts have changed” around the drug, and in January he commissioned a report with the mission of determining the consequences from legalization efforts in New Jersey and Massachusetts, and “what would that do to New York because it’s right in the middle.”

“We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons, and when were done, we realized that the pros outweighed the cons,” Mr. Zucker said, adding, “We have new facts.”

Read more: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/nyregion/new-york-marijuana-legalization.html

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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New York's Health Department Plans to Recommend Legalizing Marijuana (Original Post) EarthFirst Jun 2018 OP
The new facts being the realization that Voltaire2 Jun 2018 #1
MJ is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, like Heroin. mpcamb Jun 2018 #11
And if not prison, they had no problem with making life extremely difficult xor Jun 2018 #12
The Facts.. cannabis_flower Jun 2018 #2
Well; right... EarthFirst Jun 2018 #3
The "fact" is that the state will be losing out on a huge tax windfall without legalization. eggplant Jun 2018 #4
This message was self-deleted by its author CountAllVotes Jun 2018 #6
Can you explain? nt eggplant Jun 2018 #7
It is complex CountAllVotes Jun 2018 #8
Wow, that sucks. eggplant Jun 2018 #9
This message was self-deleted by its author CountAllVotes Jun 2018 #10
Legalizing cannabis can save the world. nt TeamPooka Jun 2018 #5

Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
1. The new facts being the realization that
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 03:48 PM
Jun 2018

legalization is a winning political issue. Meanwhile it remains a sad fact that last week they were all fine with prison for pot.

mpcamb

(2,855 posts)
11. MJ is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, like Heroin.
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 10:47 PM
Jun 2018

Some have a death toll, others, not so much.

Drugs or Substances listed in DEA Schedule I may include:
Heroin (diacetylmorphine)
LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)
Marijuana (cannabis, THC)
Mescaline (Peyote)
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or “ecstasy”)
GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) - except formulations in an FDA-approved drug product sodium oxybate (Xyrem) are Schedule III
Ecstasy (MDMA or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
Psilocybin
Synthetic marijuana and analogs (Spice, K2)
Methaqualone (Quaalude)
Khat (Cathinone)
Bath Salts (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone or MDPV)

xor

(1,204 posts)
12. And if not prison, they had no problem with making life extremely difficult
Tue Jun 19, 2018, 12:35 AM
Jun 2018

via criminal background checks and ridiculous probation fees/requirements.

I'm very straight edge and don't do any drugs or have any criminal record, but I've see these counterproductive laws ruin people's lives. They help put these people in such desperate situations that it only increases their chances of going deeper in drugs and perhaps even criminal activities. I'm sure some places around the country handle this better by not destroying lives, but it doesn't seem to be the norm as far as I can tell.

eggplant

(3,893 posts)
4. The "fact" is that the state will be losing out on a huge tax windfall without legalization.
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 04:33 PM
Jun 2018

New Yorkers will take their business out of state, and that just won't do. There's a ton of tax dollars waiting to be collected.

A similar change occurred in Mass some time ago regarding the state's "blue laws" (no liquor sales on Sundays) -- Liquor stores along the borders are allowed to stay open on Sundays, in order to keep the revenue inside the state.

Hopefully, the existing MMJ system will continue to exist, in order for patients to avoid the high taxes (as it were).

Response to eggplant (Reply #4)

eggplant

(3,893 posts)
9. Wow, that sucks.
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 06:41 PM
Jun 2018

CO and MA (I believe) both exclude MMJ from sin taxes. NY waved the $50/year card fee pretty much from the start. You still have to pay a doctor for a recommendation (Rx) which isn't covered by insurance, though. (My wife's Dr. charged $300 for the visit, but I believe they offered a sliding scale for the poor.)

NY is still very restrictive of the formats one can get MMJ in. The dispensary we go to only offers tinctures, pre-loaded vape cartridges, and (now) capsules. I believe other places offer some edibles, but I think that's it.

Response to eggplant (Reply #9)

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