Legalizing Marijuana in NY

The Firm

How were you injured?

Locations

New York City Nassau County Suffolk County

Legalizing Marijuana in NY

Legalizing marijuana has been a hot topic in our country and Governor Andrew Cuomo announced it will be one of his top legislative priorities for New York in 2019. With a number of other states also on the fence in making the change, Cuomo and state lawmakers are saying enough- let’s finally say yes to marijuana.

 

Cuomo’s New Stance on Marijuana

In a speech made at the New York City Bar Association, Cuomo outlined his agenda for the first 100 days into his third term, which included a proposal to legalize cannabis in New York for good. Not only would this move New York on the same path as a number of other states, Cuomo believes the change would go hand-in-hand with another part of his agenda- to create more equality within the justice system between the wealthy, well-off individuals and the rest of the population.

Important details of the proposal, such as taxation, business licenses, or where marijuana will be permitted to be used have not yet been revealed. It’s not clear as to what the age limit will be, how this will affect driving laws, or even how an employer’s current drug policies might be affected by the change. However, with a growing number of supporters backing the legalization of marijuana, and key players such as Cuomo flipping their opinions, it’s pretty safe to assume that marijuana will be legalized sooner than we’re prepared for.

 

Why The Change Of Heart?

Cuomo was in full support this week of making marijuana legal to use recreationally for adults, but this has not always been his opinion in the past. In 2017, Cuomo was highly opposed to recreational marijuana, unconvinced of the benefits to legalizing it and referring to it as a ‘gateway drug’. However, an article published by Business Insider after his Manhattan speech last week mentions his sudden change of heart could be due to the increasing public support for legalizing marijuana. A new study out of the Pew Research Center showed over 62% of the American population is for legalizing cannabis, showing a steady increase of support within the last decade. To gain support of the majority, Cuomo was forced to change his view on marijuana, whether it is what he personally believes in or not is hard to determine.

 

Which Side Are You On?

The topic of legalizing marijuana has been ongoing for decades throughout the United States. First, starting with the fight to legalize the drug for medical uses, and now, to legalize for recreational use as well. Similar to any other hot topic, there are outpours of opinions from both sides. While some are clearly on one side or the other, there are still a number of New Yorkers who are on the fence about the topic because they simply aren’t sure, or they don’t know enough about the pros and the cons to make an educated decision.

 

Pros of Legal Marijuana in NY

Let’s start with why legalizing marijuana would be a positive move for the state of New York:

  • Regulation: One of the biggest pushes to legalize cannabis in New York and across the country is to stop the profits the illegal drug trade is making from cannabis. By legalizing marijuana, we can implement better controls the production, sales, and distribution of the product. This means implementing regulations and policies as we do for alcohol: deciding where, when, how much, and at what level is socially acceptable.
  • Reduced Crime: With marijuana legal, the crime rate could significantly decrease. Thousands of minors are given harsh punishments for cannabis-related crimes every year and thousands more are arrested for multiple drug charges involving marijuana that would no longer be considered illegal.
  • Increased Profit: It may not happen overnight, but the state would definitely profit from the sale of recreational marijuana. New York City alone could see a profit of around $1.7 billion a year according to an article by the New York Times off of cannabis products; a huge difference considering it’s currently only costing the state money in resources to prosecute and imprison marijuana offenders. In addition, marijuana is one of the most popular agricultural products in the country, meaning more opportunities for farmers to grow crops and more jobs available to process and sell.
  • Positive Health Impacts: Alcohol and tobacco are both legal, yet both have known ingredients that are harmful to our health. In comparison, several studies have been done on the health benefits of marijuana, which has actually been used for various medical ailments for over 3,000 years! Conditions in which marijuana seemed to provide the most positive benefits include cancer, chronic pain, addictions (alcohol and drugs), depression, PTSD, social anxiety, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and more.

 

Cons of Legal Marijuana in NY

On the flip side of the issue, here are the main reasons for why some New Yorkers are still opposed to legalizing cannabis and why it has taken so long to get to where we are on the issue:

  • Regulation Flaws: We might be able to regulate the growth, sales, and distribution of legal marijuana more easily, but regulating its use can be tricky. Compared to alcohol, which remains in your urine for 3 to 5 days and in your blood for 10 to 12 hours, cannabis can stay in your urine for 7 to 10 days and your blood for up to 2 weeks. In addition, alcohol can be detected using a breathalyzer but there is currently no field sobriety test for cannabis. These factors make it much harder for law enforcement officers who suspect a driver is under the influence or an employer who believes an employee is actively using on the job, to make a decision based on current testing alone. Another opposing point when it comes to regulation is what to do with all the individuals who have been convicted of marijuana charges and are currently in jail. Do they get out? Can they dispute their sentence?
  • Increased Pedestrian Fatalities: A report released by the Governors Highway Safety Alliance suggests that states where recreational marijuana has been legalized, pedestrian accidents and fatalities have gone up  significantly. With pedestrian fatalities already reaching recording breaking highs, legalizing cannabis across the country could have deadly consequences on the road.
  • Increased Traffic Accidents: One of the biggest concerns for most non-supporters of legal cannabis is that the roads will become more dangerous, and not just for pedestrians. People fear more drivers, particularly young teens, will be operating vehicles under the influence and causing more accidents and traffic fatalities. In addition, more individuals who may have feared the legal repercussions of using marijuana will be more willing to try it, and less aware of how the drug will affect their driving abilities even days after.   
  • Negative Health: With most drugs, there are both positive and negative consequences. Studies have linked the frequent use of marijuana to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, depression, psychosis, respiratory diseases, and testicular cancer. Others opposed are worried that legalizing marijuana will build a larger generation of children and teens who are not socializing with the world around them and will have more difficulty connecting with others down the road.

 

Times Are Changing

Ten states have already legalized the use of recreational and medical marijuana. And now that the democratic party has taken over the state’s legislature, there is no doubt that legal cannabis is coming- it’s just a matter of when.

Share this post

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

PROMOTION PERIOD: The Siler & Ingber Mineola MegaStar Contest begins on March 20, 2023 at 12:00 am ET and
ends on May 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible, a MegaStar must be a legal U.S. resident at least 16 years of age as of date of
Nomination. A Mineola MegaStar is defined as a person who lives or works in Mineola and is admired or idealized for their courage, dedication, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. By participating, Entrants agree to be
bound by the official rules. Sponsors reserve the right to verify and determine eligibility in their sole discretion.

TO PARTICIPATE: During the Promotion Period, Siler & Ingber will accept from the members of the public (herein, the “Nominators”) nominations of Eligible Entrants (Mineola Megastars) who live or works in Mineola. Nominations may be entered by visiting www.nylawnet.com/mineolamegastar and completing the online form and essay submission or by emailing photo and essay to marketing@nylawnet.com during the Promotion Period to receive one (1) entry. Essay must not exceed 500 words. Acceptable essay formats are word documents or pdf ONLY. Nominations submitted without all required information or after the Promotion Period will be disregarded.
Online submissions must be received by May 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET to be eligible. All entries become the exclusive property of Siler & Ingber and will not be acknowledged or returned.

ESSAY: During the promotion period, an Entrant can nominate a Mineola MegaStar for the contest by submitting a
photo and essay. The essay must describe why the individual should be chosen as the award winner, including how the individual demonstrates some or all of the following qualifications:

1) an inspiring example to others by helping make Mineola a better place to live (through volunteerism, extra-curricular actives, special projects, giving back, etc.)

2) going above and beyond to aid a friend, family member, stranger or community in a time of need; and/or

3) love of profession and desire, determination and diligence to help outside of normal job responsibilities. The essay must be in English and no more than 500 words. All information provided must be truthful, accurate and complete. An Entrant cannot nominate more than one Hero.

Submitted Materials: Each essay must satisfy all the following submission requirements the Submission


Requirements:

· The essay must be the original creation of Entrant.

· The essay must not portray any recognizable individual without their prior consent, including consent from the
Hero.

· Entrant must either own all rights to the essay or otherwise have the right to submit the essay in the contest and to provide the rights to Sage Surfaces as set forth herein.

· The essay must not infringe any third party’s intellectual property rights.

· The essay may not contain illegal, indecent, obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit content, or otherwise offensive material or inappropriate content such as aberrational behavior, graphic violence, drug abuse, or nudity.

· The essay must not promote bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.

· The essay must be non-defamatory and must not invade any third party’s right of privacy or publicity.

· The essay must otherwise be appropriate for publication or broadcast or display on a general interest website.

By submitting an essay, each Entrant represents and warrants that the essay meets all of the submission
requirements and that the distribution, reproduction, display and any other uses of any part of the essay by Siler & Ingber as permitted herein will not infringe any third-party rights. Each Entrant further agrees to indemnify and hold Siler & Ingber harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, damages, costs, liabilities and causes of action of whatsoever nature that are based upon or arise out of any breach by such Entrant of such warranties or representations made by contestant or of these official rules.

By submitting an essay, Entrant grants to Siler & Ingber a non-exclusive, perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free license (and waives all moral rights in and to the essay) to display or otherwise use the essay in connection with this promotion and as set forth herein. If Siler & Ingber determines, in its sole discretion and at any time during the promotion period, that any nomination violates the submission requirements, is otherwise unsuitable, offensive, or in poor taste, or violates these official rules, Siler & Ingber reserves the right to remove and disqualify the essay. Siler & Ingber retains sole
discretion as to whether any nomination satisfies the submission requirements and the official rules.

WINNER SELECTION: For the entry period, a panel of judges will select potential Mineola Megastar finalists based on the compelling nature of the essay based on the criteria set forth herein. Top 5 entries will be announced on May 10, 2023. We will post the top 5 on social media. Final winner announced May 15, 2023. Award Ceremony for Mineola MegaStar will take place on May 19, 2023.


WINNER NOTIFICATION AND RELEASES: We will attempt to notify potential winners via telephone and/or email. If a potential winner: (a) does not respond within 48 hours of initial notification attempt; (b) is not in compliance with these official rules, (c) does not meet the eligibility requirements, (d) declines the prize, he or she will be disqualified, and an alternate winner will be selected by applying the criteria set forth above.
PRIZES: There is 1 Mineola MegaStar. Winner will receive a $500 Cash Prize.

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING: Submission of a nomination in the contest constitutes permission to Siler & Ingber to use Entrants name, identity, title, likeness, distinctive appearance, physical likeness, image, portrait, picture, photograph (whether still or moving), screen persona, voice, vocal style, statements, gesture, mannerism, personality, performance characteristic, biographical data, signature, social media handles and identities, and any other indicia or imitation of identity or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade, in any medium, without further notice, approval, or compensation, unless prohibited by law.

PRIZE RESTRICTIONS: No transfer, assignment, sale, duplication, cash redemption or substitution of Prize (or portion of Prize) is permitted, except by Sponsors, which reserve the right to substitute a Prize (or applicable portion of Prize) with one of comparable or greater value, as determined by Sponsors. Sponsors are not responsible for and will not replace a lost or stolen Prize or any component thereof. All Prize details are at Sponsors’ sole and absolute discretion. Non-compliance with these Official Rules may result in disqualification and, at Sponsors’ sole discretion, the awarding of Prize to an alternate winner.

VERIFICATION OF OFFICIAL WINNER: ALL PRIZE WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION BY SPONSORS, WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE CONTEST.

Do I Have A Case

    Skip to content