The first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors in New York this week. It is one more sign that weed just doesn’t resonate with New York like it does with LA. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just passed a medical marijuana program this week. However, it looks like it will only do the bare minimum to be politically expedient.
New York Government Officials Don’t Want Weed Propagated
Only a handful of dispensaries will be opening through the state. Not only that, it’ll be really tough to get a license. New York is going to be awfully picky about who needs marijuana. This is definitely not the case in California. LA is one of the most liberal cities in the world. They have seen a lot of stability after legalizing medical marijuana. Other Western states like Colorado, Oregon and Washington have even legalized it recreationally. They are not going up in smoke. So why is the East coast so reluctant to let weed in?
Apparently, Only Severe Medical Conditions Should Be Treated With Weed
According to the program, some of the only conditions that allow use of medical marijuana are cancer, HIV, ADIS, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. What’s more, inhaled forms of weed and edibles are still illegal. People with these specific conditions can only buy marijuana oils that can be vaporized, or get access to pills with THC.
The program is obviously just a formality to get with the weed program that western states and Washington DC are starting. The main criticism the program faces is that it is not addressing the needs of real patients that actually need or want weed to handle pain. It only addresses people in extreme cases. New York just doesn’t want to extend their scope to moderate conditions.
Will The New York Medical Marijuana Program Ever Look Like the One in LA?
New York won’t be seeing any radical change in regards to medical marijuana, at least not anytime soon. Laws may curb as time progresses. New York needs a little more motivation to be persuaded, and it’ll come in the form of more specific laws with good regulations.
