Support for Medical Marijuana in NY Strengthens
April 23rd, 2009 by Erin
The Bronx is up and so is the support for the legalization of medical marijuana, according to Assemblyman Richard Gottfried. Gottfried is a Manhattan Democrat who says the Big Apple has “by far the best chance we’ve ever had.”
Gottfried, alongside fellow Manhattan Democrat Senator Thomas Duane, plan to introduce legislation on Tuesday so that people suffering from serious medical conditions can use medical marijuana legally without fear of prosecution. While states like California will issue a medical marijuana card for a wide range of conditions, from anxiety to polio, this bill is applicable only to people suffering from specific diseases, such as cancer or HIV. Patients would be legally allowed to possess up to 2 ½ ounces of marijuana and grow up to 12 plants.
Gottfried has been pushing a similar bill for over ten years with no avail, and Duane, although unsure whether or not this one will pass, says:
No matter what, we are in better shape than we were last year.
Spirits are high, and with a little bit of hope, soon some very sick New Yorkers will be too.
