Welcome to GreenWay New York! We are an online resource and physicians’ network that helps patients obtain their medical marijuana cards in New York. We also have a full range of online resources to help you navigate the application process and learn more as you begin your treatment with medical marijuana.
Medical Marijuana History in New York
New York became the twenty-third state to pass a medical marijuana law on July 5, 2014. Governor Answer Cuomo included several revisions in the limited medical marijuana bill he signed. The program will give thousands of residents with serious medical conditions safe access to medical marijuana. However, the bill leaves out many serious conditions, permits few dispensaries, and does not allow patients to smoke cannabis.
Possession of marijuana was decriminalized in New York in 1977. Recently, however, police officers have used the “public view” exception to their advantage, forcing people to empty their pockets and arresting them once their marijuana was in public view. Mayor Bill De Blasio eventually ordered the NYPD to issue civil citations instead of making criminal arrests. Currently, proposals to legalize marijuana are in the works, which would make marijuana regulated in the same way as alcohol.
New York City to finally comply with 1977 decrim
New York was one of the first states in the nation to decriminalize the possession of marijuana. Unfortunately, in recent years, the “public view” exception to New York’s 1977 decriminalization law has been widely abused by police officers. New York City police have told tens of thousands of people, mostly young people of color, to empty their pockets thus making them criminals once their marijuana was in public view.
Finally, however, the tide is turning. Last July, Brooklyn district attorney Ken Thompson announced his office would stop prosecuting low-level marijuana possession cases. In November, Mayor Bill de Blasio followed suit, ordering the New York Police Department to stop arresting people for marijuana possession and instead issue civil citations. This will finally bring the city police in line with what has been the state law since 1977.
Still, Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes have proposed a more comprehensive fix to New York’s unfair and wasteful marijuana laws: legalizing marijuana for adults and regulating it like alcohol. Let your legislators know it’s time to stop punishing adults for using a substance that is safer than alcohol.
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