New York will become the 23rd state in the U.S. to legalize the use of medical marijuana after Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers came up with an agreement on Thursday that would legalize marijuana in New York for medical use.
In a press conference held in Albany, the governor announced that he and state lawmakers have decided to green light the legalization of medical marijuana. Under the Compassionate Care Act, patients who have certain medical conditions will soon have access to authorized forms of marijuana.
While the development may be good news for advocates who have been pushing for the legalization of medical pot, it is worth noting that the deal has certain conditions. For one, patients are prohibited from smoking the drug.
State assemblyman Richard Gottfried and state Sen. Diane Savino, who sponsored the bill, have tried to persuade the governor into allowing smoking in the bill, Cuomo raised concerns about the potentials of marijuana becoming a gateway drug as well as cited efforts to combat smoking in New York.
Patients would have to vaporize and ingest the drug, which would only be prescribed to those with certain serious medical conditions including AIDS, cancer, Lou Gehrig's Disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neuropathies, inflammatory bowel movement and Huntington's Disease.
Registry identification cards, which will include information on the form and dosage of the drug recommended to the patient, will also be given to ensure that medical marijuana only goes to individuals who were prescribed the treatment. Only doctors would also be allowed to prescribe marijuana and they will need to undergo training and get certified by the state.
The legislation also expires after seven years, after which an evaluation would be conducted and the reauthorization of the program could be decided. The governor can also immediately terminate the program once it is abused or problems arise.
Cuomo said that the law makes medical marijuana available for those who need them while averting abuse.
"Medical marijuana is a difficult issue because there are risks to public health and safety that have to be averted," Cuomo said. "I believe this bill is the right balance, and I commend the members of the Legislature who worked so hard on this measure."
The law will not take effect until after 18 months as the department of health will still have to certify doctors, select and license manufacturers that would grow and distribute marijuana, and come up with regulations on the dosage amounts.
