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Advocates: Medical Marijuana in NY closer than ever

This could be the year that New York joins the 18 other states including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont, that already have medical marijuana laws on the  books.  

On Tuesday, New York State Senator Diane Savino and Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried, along with 68 other co-sponsors, introduced a bill to allow seriously ill patients in the Empire State to use medical marijuana legally with a doctor’s recommendation. Gottfried argues passage of the law is long past overdue.
 
There will likely be debate as to whether health insurance will pay for treatment, and beyond that, what happens when the full provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act take effect?  

Polling shows support for medical marijuana has been growing in New York in recent years. New York's medical marijuana patients are hopeful 2013 will be the year they are granted safe access to their medicine: Lisa Roche-Schroeder is an RN currently working in Saratoga County - she says many patients in the state suffering from cancer, HIV and MS are already using "medical marijuana" to treat serious conditions and alleviate symptoms.
 
Evan Nison, director of the New York Cannabis Alliance, says the current bill was carefully crafted and represents a responsible approach to the compassionate use of medical marijuana. Nison adds that researchers are studying cannabis use to treat the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and are finding positive results.
 
Under the new bill, an excise tax would be imposed on the manufacturing and sale of medical marijuana, the Health Department would license production and dispensation, with the state setting up so-called “seed to sale” security and regulations of the drug. An advisory board of health-care professionals would oversee the process.
 

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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