New York Introduces New Marijuana Bill
After the failure to include recreational marijuana in the New York state budget earlier this year, sponsors of the legislation are introducing a new bill.
The proposal would create an Office of Cannabis Management to oversee commercial marijuana, medically based cannabis and hemp production.
Revenue from marijuana sales wold be split in different ways under the new bill: communities affected by marijuana prohibition, law enforcement to enhance public safety, and funding for drug research and prevention.
The new version of the bill also expands the state’s medical marijuana program. It would eliminate the requirement that only New Yorkers with 17 specific diseases could have access to the treatment, and leaves it up to the doctor and the patient to decide whether the drug is appropriate to use.
