Cuomo signs law decriminalizing marijuana use

[brooklynite]

Source: WNBC-TV

Gov. Cuomo signed legislation Monday decriminalizing marijuana use in the state of New York.

The law reduces unlawful possession of marijuana to a violation punishable by a fine.

Additionally, it also creates a process for individuals convicted of certain marijuana offenses to have their records expunged.

The governor's office said that New York's existing marijuana laws disproportionately affects African American and Latino communities, and the legislation addresses the racial and ethnic disparities.

Read more: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Cuomo-Signs-Law-Decriminalizing-Marijuana-Use-New-York-513335641.html?akmobile=o

[SHRED]

1. About time

What took so long?

[ck4829]

2. K&R

[bearfan454]

3. I want the next real President to do this at the Federal level.

I live in Texas and this will be the last state to decriminalize unless it's at the Federal level.

[NCDEM4EVR]

5. I'll bet you an ounce that Texas beats NC to that status.

[The Figment]

8. No Afkansastan will be the last state, I'll betcha. Nt

[The Figment]

4. Did I miss something here...

I thought that N.Y. was a decrim state already, in fact if I remember correctly N.Y. decriminalized on July 1 1976...I realize that 17 years of chasing the Grateful Dead has it effects on one's memory but 15 of us went to the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa in my younger brothers van on Decrim Day so we could go to the big head shop there (for the life of me I can't remember the name of the place) to try and buy as many bongs,pipes,roach clips and packs of papers as we could.

Did N.Y. recriminalize at some point? I moved out of Long Island in July '77 when I went on tour for the first time.

[LiberalArkie]

6. Maybe this is what you are thinking of

Although marijuana has been decriminalized in New York for decades, New York only very recently legalized medical marijuana – the first medical dispensary opened in beginning of January 2016. However, New York’s medical marijuana laws look very different from many other states’ and put much stricter restrictions on patients’ access to marijuana. The 25 (or so) state licensed dispensaries are forbidden from selling smokeable marijuana, leaving flowers off of store shelves. Patients’ choices are limited to oils and tinctures, which can be vaporized, inhaled, or taken orally in capsules. Patients can also access topicals, transdermal patches, and some forms of edibles like chewable and effervescent tablets and lozenges.

[The Figment]

7. Ok,

I thought N.Y. was the first state to decriminalize in the U.S.

[SergeStorms]

9. Doesn't mean a thing for Pain Management patients.

As long as federal laws still classify it as a schedule I drug it's still illegal and can't be used for Pain Management purposes. I know, I've tried. So every other New Yorker can smoke or ingest to their heart's content, but people in pain are still second - or third - rate citizens.

[EarthFirst]

10. This falls far short of what NYS was originally guaranteed...

Cuomo made NYS as a Recreational State part of his first 100 Days platform upon reelection.

There is partial credit due; however is far short of a successful pledge from New York leadership...