The New York State Assembly Health Committee has passed a bill authorizing the legalization of medical marijuana. If the bill passes in the assembly and Senate, New York would join 19 other states that have approved the use of medical marijuana.

The bill would approve the use of medical marijuana as a treatment for chronically debilitating conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and others, according to an April 16 article by The Post-Standard.

The committee has passed three bills of similar nature since 2008, but the most recent bill, which passed April 16, is distinct due to its bipartisan support. In the 21-4 vote within the committee, three votes were cast by Republicans, according to the article.

“Many of the elected officials have prevented this issue from being resolved,” said Gabriel Sayegh, director of New York’s Drug Policy Alliance. “I think it would be easy to say that this is the fault of one party over the other, but this is a fault within both parties.”

One of the reasons why the bill was contested in the committee, Sayegh said, was that many of its members could not disassociate the idea of medical marijuana from recreational marijuana. Some committee members believe recreational marijuana lacks merit, and so criminalize the idea of adopting medical marijuana, he said.

This misconception extends far beyond New York and into public opinion, Sayegh said. He said he believes anxiety centered on the war on drugs has stalled an open dialogue about legalizing medical marijuana. This anxiety has surfaced in the federal government’s choice to make medical marijuana-related research illegal, he added.

“I think it is becoming increasingly clear that with respect to medical marijuana, New York is really behind the times,” Sayegh said. “We continue to heavily criminalize it, yet we are surrounded by states that are allowing medical marijuana.”

Medical marijuana is a non-addictive substance that has anti-pain, anti-nausea and anti-spasm properties, said Abigail Charbonneau, a sophomore anthropology major. The decriminalization of medical marijuana would allow for more research on tailoring marijuana’s specific cannabinoid levels to aid those with chronic diseases, she said.

If marijuana was legalized, the government would have greater regulation of the growth and distribution of it, she said. Federal and state governments would also be able to gain considerable amounts of revenue from medical marijuana through taxes, Charbonneau said.

Sayegh said he believes New York is increasingly becoming an outlier compared to surrounding states. Other states, such as New Mexico, are examples of successful systems where medical marijuana is legal, he said. Still, he said the conversation within committees remains generally dysfunctional.

The committee bill includes tighter restrictions on who can grow, sell and buy marijuana. The restrictions will hopefully help draw more support from committee members and the New York State Senate, according to The Post-Standard.

Currently, the committee has received the most opposition from the conservative party, Sayegh said. He said he believes continued criminalization is “inhumane and bizarre” because those who legally obtain medical marijuana must obtain a license and prove they have a medical condition that warrants its use.

“I think the bill’s continued opposition suggests that establishing more adult and sophisticated conversations about drug policies is going to be hard,” Sayegh said. “But just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean we should stop trying.”

Published on April 25, 2013 at 12:34 am

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu