Starting Wednesday (8/1), most cases of marijuana smoking and possession in Manhattan won’t be prosecuted. Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance released a new “decline to prosecute” policy for the D.A.’s office on Tuesday (7/31). Vance says: Every day I ask our prosecutors to keep Manhattan safe and make our justice system more equal and fair. The […]
New York
Cuomo Moves Closer to Marijuana Legalization in New York
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo took a step closer to voicing full-throated support for legal marijuana on Friday, embracing elements of a state Health Department report that favored legalization. Mr. Cuomo, addressing reporters after an unrelated speech in Brooklyn, said New York would no longer have the option of trying to simply prevent the flow of […]
Medical marijuana maker: Legalizing recreational use of marijuana in NY is a balancing act
Any day, week or month now, the state Department of Health will tell New Yorkers why it’s recommending marijuana be legal for recreational use. In mid-June, Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said the pros of marijuana outweigh the cons,said his department would release its report on the subject “soon.” A health department spokeswoman this week […]
Marijuana in New York: Here’s How the Laws Are Changing
New York is getting closer to legal marijuana. On Monday, the state health commissioner said he would recommend legalizing the drug, and on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would hand out tickets to people smoking pot instead of arresting them. But before New Yorkers break out their gummies and vape pens, here’s an explainer […]
New York Moves Toward Legal Marijuana With Health Dept. Endorsement
ALBANY — 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 […]
Could New York Be the Next State to Legalize Marijuana?
The New York Police Department regularly faces criticism over the disproportionate number of Black and brown people who are arrested for marijuana possession. The department’s constant refrain has been that officers go where they are called. They respond to complaints to the city’s 311 assistance line or calls to 911. Arrests, they say, flow naturally […]
Medical marijuana expansion could be steppingstone to recreational legalization in New York
There are several issues that need to be resolved before adult marijuana use should be legalized, industry insiders said. Pioneers of New York’s medical marijuana program are expressing cautious excitement over the prospect of adult use legalization. “This industry is probably the fastest moving industry there is right now,” said Jeremy Unruh, director of public […]
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Instructs NYPD To Stop Arresting People Smoking Marijuana
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told top brass at the city’s police department to stop arresting people who are caught smoking marijuana in public, according to a City Hall aide. Currently, smoking in public can lead to arrest, while possession of small amounts of marijuana can lead to a summons. This weekend, […]
New York Gubernatorial Candidate Nixon Throws Support Behind Legalizing Cannabis
Cynthia Nixon, the actress and Democratic candidate for governor, told supporters at a private fund-raiser last week that if elected she would seek to legalize marijuana and tax it to raise revenue for New York, attendees said. “She said that if marijuana is legal, we can tax it and make a lot of money from […]
New York’s Medical Marijuana Law Comes Of Age
Since Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act (N.Y. Pub. Health L. §3369 (2014)) (CCA), into law in July 2014, legalizing medical marijuana in New York state, the landscape for legal cannabis in New York has changed considerably. What originally was seen as one of the most restrictive medical marijuana laws in the country, […]
