Marijuana

Syracuse drug prevention experts are concerned about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent proposal to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in New York State.

The chance to include the legalization of adult recreational marijuana in the state budget is fading, now that Governor Andrew Cuomo seems to be backing away from the proposal.

People who support legalizing recreational marijuana for adults in New York say 2019 may be the year that it happens. At a conference to explore the best way to craft legislation, participants  said it needs to include reparative justice for communities most adversely affected by the decades long marijuana prohibition in New York.

This week on Science on the Radio Dr. Marvin Druger discusses marijuana. You won't hear a debate whether to legalize the drug or not. What you will hear is a description of what makes up the controversial plant. You'll also hear about the potential use of medicinal marijuana.

Hear Science on the Radio each Wednesday night at 8:35.

  A New York mother of a child who suffers daily seizures helped Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduce a bill to make it easier to get medical marijuana.  

“This is clearly a case of ideology getting in the way of scientific progress. The government should not prevent doctors from prescribing medicine that has shown to work.”

New York is now the 23rd state to allow medical marijuana, now that Governor Cuomo has signed a bill into law. But it will be some time before patients will have access to the drug.

Governor Cuomo and the legislature have agreed to a limited medical marijuana program for patients with cancer, AIDS, and childhood seizure disorders.  It will not allow the drug to be smoked.  Cuomo, who  had expressed reservations about allowing medical marijuana, says the bill will grant sick people access to the drug, while imposing limits that will prevent abuse of marijuana.

Onondaga County has the third largest racial disparity in marijuana arrests in the state.