new york marijuana Archives

New York Assembly Votes to Seal Over 800,000 Marijuana Convictions

June 7, 2018

New York’s Assembly has passed legislation that would allow for hundreds of thousands of people to have their marijuana conviction sealed from their record.

Assembly Bill 2142 would seal the conviction of those arrested for the simple possession of marijuana in public view. This would make such charges not appear on criminal background checks. This would effect over 800,000 people charged over the past 20 years.

A companion measure in the Senate (SB 03809) recently passed the Codes Committee and is currently in the Judiciary Committee. If the Senate approves the companion measure, it will be sent to the Assembly. If the Senate passes the Assembly-approved measure, it will be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo for consideration. Cuomo would then have the option of signing it into law, allowing it to become law without a signature, or veto it.

New York Marijuana Possession Charges Would be Sealed Under Measure Approved by Assembly

February 16, 2017

With a 95 to 38 vote, New York’s full Assembly has given approval to a bill that would seal the criminal records of those charged with possessing marijuana.

According to government statistics, there have been over 800,000 people arrested in New York for simple cannabis possession in the last 20 years, making the reaches of this measure widespread. Assembly Bill 2142 now moves to the Senate, where its passage would send it to Governor Andrew Cuomo for final consideration.

“I introduced the marijuana sealing bill because drug laws have created a permanent underclass of people unable to find jobs after a conviction,” says Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes, the bill’s primary sponsor. “One of the most damaging issues derived from the war on drugs is that the policies are inherently racist. Communities of color have been devastated by bad drug policies and hyper-criminalization for the last 40 years.”

Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Filed in New York

February 6, 2017

Companion measures that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for those 21 and older have been filed in New York’s House and Senate.

Senate Bill 3040 and Assembly Bill 3506 would legalize the possession and use of up to two ounces of cannabis for those 21+. The limit would be twice as much as allowed in most legal cannabis states like Colorado where the max is one ounce, but would be less than Maine’s new law that allows 2.5 ounces.

The proposals would also allow for the personal cultivation of up to six cannabis plants, and would establish a licensed, regulated and taxed system of cannabis retail outlets and cultivation centers.

NY Expanding Medical Cannabis Program: Nurses to Recommend, Dispensaries to Deliver

August 31, 2016

New York’s Health Department has announced that the state’s medical cannabis program will soon be expanded to allow nurses to recommend the medicine, and to allow dispensaries to deliver it.

Under current law only physicians can recommend medical cannabis to patients, but only around 600 of roughly 80,000 physicians in the state have begun recommending the medicine to their patients. The expansion is meant to make it easier for people who could use cannabis to have it recommended to them by allowing nurses to recommend it; this will take effect after a 45-day comment period.

The Big Apple: Marijuana Arrest Rates Up 29 Percent, Minorities Account For 90 Percent

August 9, 2016

By Monterey Bud, Marijuana.com

The ebb and flow of marijuana arrests in The Big Apple continue. . .

Purportedly working to lose their “marijuana arrest capital of the world” moniker – and after successfully cutting their weed-related arrests by 75% between 2013 and 2014 – New York’s 2016 marijuana arrest rate shot up by 29% when compared to the first six months of 2015.

Hit particularly hard during this surge of chronic arrests – minorities.

New York Assembly Passes Bill to Seal Records for Cannabis Misdemeanor Convictions

June 17, 2016

New York's State Seal. — New York’s State Seal.

New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Chair of the Governmental Operations Committee Crystal Peoples-Stokes yesterday announced the passage of legislation that would permit the permanent sealing of certain cannabis convictions in an effort to curb the long lasting effects of criminal records.

Currently, an individual charged with possession of 25 grams of cannabis or less is charged with a violation, similar to a traffic offense with no criminal record. However, many times officers request that a suspect empty his or her pockets or purse, observe cannabis within the contents, and then charge them with the misdemeanor for possessing cannabis in a public place and open to public view.

Over 10,000 Less Cannabis Arrests Made in New York City So Far in 2015 Compared to Same Period in 2014

November 28, 2015November 26, 2015

Cannabis arrests are down significantly this year in New York City, following Mayor Bill de Blasio’s call for law enforcement to give citations to those possessing small amounts of cannabis rather than arresting and charging them with a criminal offense.

Through the end of October, there have been just over 18,000 cannabis-related arrests in New York City. This is down from the over 29,000 arrests made during the same period last year, which is an overall decrease of nearly 40%, according to data from the state’s Division of Criminal Justice.

New York Governor Signs Medical Cannabis Emergency Access Bill

November 11, 2015

After months of pressure from medical cannabis advocates and public health officials, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a medical cannabis emergency access bill today that will expedite access to medical cannabis for critically ill patients.

Earlier this year New York’s full legislature gave approval to Assembly Bill 7060 and Senate Bill 5086, which directs the state to establish a program to help critically ill patients obtain emergency access to medical cannabis as soon as logistically possible. The bill was delivered to Governor Cuomo on October 30th, and he had signed on it the last possible day for him to do so.

New York Opens Application Process for Medical Cannabis Producers and Dispensers

April 27, 2015

New York's State Flag. — New York’s State Flag.

New York’s Department of Health announced it is accepting applications from those wanting to operate organizations that manufacture and dispense medical cannabis in the state.

The announcement comes over 9 months after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation into law that allows those with certain medical conditions to possess and use cannabis medicines if they receive a recommendation from a physician. The law doesn’t allow patients to smoke cannabis, meaning they’ll be required to consume it through other means such as oils, tinctures, vaporizers and edibles.

New York City Council Calls on State to Legalize Cannabis

March 20, 2015

By Drug Policy Alliance

NYC Council 2015 Policy Agenda Urges State Legislature to Fix New York’s Broken Marijuana Policies

This week, the New York City Council called for the state of New York to pass historic legislation to both decriminalize and to tax and regulate marijuana. As part of the Council’s State Budget and Legislative Agenda for the 2015-2016 legislative session, the New York City Council urged the state legislature to pass two historic marijuana policy reforms – the Fairness and Equity Act and the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act (MRTA). The Speaker of the City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito had previously announced her support for marijuana legalization in November, but this marks the first time that marijuana decriminalization and legalization have been part of the Council’s official legislative agenda.