New York State Medical Marijuana

[BearsysRevenge]

New York

One month left this session: Urge the Senate to take up medical marijuana

Last update: May 21, 2008

New York's medical marijuana legislation has built tremendous momentum. Those who support allowing medical marijuana include 76% of the public, 55% of Conservative Party members, and the vast majority of the state's medical community. Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) has been introducing this compassionate legislation for more than 10 years. Last June, for the first time, the bill passed the Assembly with an overwhelming 95-52 vote.

We need your help to turn the momentum into law! The New York Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Monday, June 23, and the Senate has not yet taken up medical marijuana legislation. Please urge your senator to support A. 4867-B and to ask leadership to bring the issue to a vote.

Hundreds of seriously ill patients are living in fear of arrest and prosecution, or are unable to use the medicine their health depends on. If you are a patient who could benefit from medical marijuana, or a supportive medical professional, please e-mail karen@mpp.org to see how your voice can help.

[Purp]

This would be very hard to imagine. I get all around New York city, and we have some straight up fascist policies when it comes to that shit. People get arrested and locked up for ridiculously small amounts of weed. The police need to meet a specific quota of arrests so they get bored and bust people for smoking all the time.

[generic_hippie]

[BearsysRevenge]

Originally Posted by Purp

This would be very hard to imagine. I get all around New York city, and we have some straight up fascist policies when it comes to that shit. People get arrested and locked up for ridiculously small amounts of weed. The police need to meet a specific quota of arrests so they get bored and bust people for smoking all the time.

Which is exactly why you gotta write some peoples.

Its almost there bro. Just spread the word.

[BearsysRevenge]

I think this is a TV ad, Jack Herer posted this in a Myspace bulletin a few hours ago.

[BearsysRevenge]

June 18, 2008

The Assembly just approved a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, 79-48. This is an annual exercise in futility, since the measure has never been passed in the Senate, and is unlikely to be this year as well.


Sponsor Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan pointed out that other more potent drugs are legal, and that marijuana can bring some significant pain relief to people whose suffering otherwise goes unabated. But opponents are concerned that legalizing its use for this narrow purpose would result in more widespread use.


The Assembly also today will pass another "one-house" bill — public financing of political campaigns. That idea is also likely to die in the Senate.


Later today the Senate was expected to get on the “one-house-bill’’ bandwagon, passing a death-penalty bill that has virtually no chance of passing the Assembly.

Assembly OK's Medical Marijuana Bill

[BearsysRevenge]

Full text of the NY Bill
NYCC Information About the NY Bills

[XxwhiteowlxX]

There holding something to try to allow medical marijuana in new york today?

[BearsysRevenge]

Yesterday, the state legislature adjourned without the Senate's Republican majority calling a vote on medical marijuana. The state Assembly passed medical marijuana legislation last June, and again on June 18. But because the Senate did not follow suit, thousands of patients are still suffering.

Please take a moment to see how your Assembly member voted on Assemblyman Richard Gottfried's medical marijuana bill and "thank" or "spank" him or her. Please remember to be polite and brief, no matter how your Assembly member voted, and to keep the focus on medical marijuana.

Thank you to the hundreds who took the time to call or write your state senators. Tremendous progress has been made in New York over the last several years. A prestigious coalition of supporters has lined up to support allowing medical marijuana, including organizations representing the state's nurses, doctors, and medical schools and three city councils. Numerous editorial boards have also called for action, with the most recent addition being the Oneonta Daily Star.

And, most importantly, the Assembly has voted twice to allow medical marijuana. The issue has garnered bipartisan support. Seven Republican Assembly members co-sponsored the Assembly bill, and Sen. Joseph Bruno, who was the Senate majority leader until yesterday, said he supports allowing medical marijuana.

A special thank you to the many patients who bravely spoke out in interviews, to their legislators, in TV or newspaper ads, and in testimonials. Thank you to Burton Aldrich, Glenn Amandola, Nicholas Calderon, Bruce Dunn, Barbara Jackson, Fred McLaughlin, Joel Peacock, Dr. Kevin Smith, Chris Taylor, Richard Williams, and Jeannine Zagiel, and the many others who raised your voices. And many thanks to each of you who have donated to this effort to make MPP's robust campaign of polling, grassroots calls, lobbying, and advertising possible. Thank you especially to Vince Marrone, who has done a terrific job lobbying for the bill and building the impressive coalition of support.

The tide is coming. It is only a matter of time before New York patients do not have to choose between obeying the law and relieving their suffering. It is possible, however, that for change to happen in the near future, the Senate Republicans will need to lose their two-seat majority in the November elections. So far, the majority has proven unwilling to call a vote on this compassionate issue.

Sincerely,

Karen O'Keefe
Assistant Director of State Policies
Marijuana Policy Project

[verklingen]

sad turn of affairs, but i had to lol at the name karen o'keef.