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New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday he is authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, making New York the 21st US state to do so.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday he is authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, making New York the 21st US state to do so.
Cuomo, a Democrat who has in the past opposed
such a measure, announced a limited pilot program to serve the state of
19.5 million people.
"We will establish a program
allowing up to 20 hospitals to prescribe medical marijuana," he said
during his annual state of the state speech in Albany.
Cuomo
argued that research has suggested marijuana, which is widely but
illegally used for recreational purposes, can help patients "manage the
pain and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses."
"We will monitor the program to evaluate effectiveness in the feasibility of (a) medical marijuana system," he added.
Cuomo,
56, who last year described his support for decriminalizing the
possession of up to 15 grams of the drug, is likely to proceed by
decree, after four previous attempts to legalize medical marijuana
failed to get traction among the state's lawmakers.
The announcement comes as part of a growing movement to relax US laws on marijuana.
According to an October 2013 Gallup poll, 58 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana.
Including
New York, the drug will soon be allowed for medical reasons to various
degrees in 21 of 50 states and in the capital Washington.
The
first state to legalize medical marijuana was California, in 1996. A
prescription can be obtained there for conditions as minor as a bad
back.
In Massachusetts, where the drug was legalized by
referendum in November 2013, patients can possess "no more marijuana
than is necessary for the patient's personal, medical use" for up to a
60-day supply, to ease suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS,
Hepatitis C, Parkinson's disease and other serious conditions.
Vermont
authorizes registered patients to possess "no more than two mature
marijuana plants, seven immature plants and two ounces of usable
marijuana."
Oregon authorizes 680 grams, including for people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Colorado
has gone even further. Since January 1, recreational users older than
21 can legally buy up to 28 grams of cannabis for their own enjoyment
regardless of their medical status.
The state of Washington took a similar measure, set to take effect in the coming months.
Authorities in both states oversee the production, distribution and marketing of cannabis there.
At
the federal level, the sale and possession of marijuana remains
illegal. But in October 2009, the White House sent a memo urging federal
prosecutors not to pursue cases against people distributing the drug
for therapeutic purposes.
Cuomo's announcement comes
just days after Bill de Blasio -- further to the left than the governor
-- became New York City mayor.
Cuomo, who's up for
re-election at the end of the year, highlighted the economic success of
his state, the necessity to lower business taxes there and to modernize
the school system.
He has been tapped as a possible
presidential candidate in 2016, along with his moderate Republican
counterpart in neighboring New Jersey, Chris Christie.
New
Jersey already authorizes marijuana for medical use within a strict
framework. That state's law has recently been expanded to include
certain childhood maladies.
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