WORLD
New York to legalize use of medical marijuana
Baku, January 9 (AZERTAC). New York governor Andrew M. Cuomo is to legalize the use of marijuana in the state, using a decades-old public health law provision, the New York Times reports. The drug - which remains banned federally - will be prescribed for diagnosed medical ailments.
The liberalization of the previously strict local laws will be announced during Wednesday’s State of the State address, according to unnamed officials who spoke with the newspaper.
According to the proposal, twenty hospitals across New York State would prescribe marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of a list of certified conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. The dispensaries and medical protocols have not yet been approved, but the state reportedly hopes to put the infrastructure in place within the year. Since growing marijuana plants remains illegal, it is not clear how the drug would be obtained by medical institutions, though there has been suggestion that they may acquire it from the confiscated stocks of law enforcement agencies.
If the program becomes operational, New York will become the 21st state in the US to allow at least some legal use of cannabis.
On average about 50,000 people a year are arrested in connection with the drug, the vast majority of whom were sanctioned for smoking in public in New York City, which maintains a policy of strict and visible policing. A year ago Cuomo moved to decriminalize 'open-view possession', changing the penalty from a misdemeanor to a fine, though the new laws have not come into force.