Community Corner
Rally in GC to Urge Passage of Medical Marijuana Bill
Activists to gather at the Garden City train station to collect signatures and hand out flyers beginning at 2 p.m.
Activists including patients suffering from debilitating illnesses like cancer and multiple sclerosis are expected to mobilize supporters of New York's medical marijuana bill at the Garden City train station Friday at 2 p.m.
Signatures will be collected and flyers handed out urging people to contact Senate leadership and demand a vote on the Compassionate Care Act (A. 6357-Gottfreid / S. 4406- Savino) before the end of the legislative session, which is June 20.
The Compassionate Care Act would make a small quantity of medical marijuana available to seriously ill patients under the supervision of their healthcare practitioner.
Eighteen states and the District Columbia have already passed laws creating legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients.
Senators Kemp Hannon, who serves as chair of the Health Committee, and Dean Skelos, the Senate Republican leader, have the power to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, according to advocates.Patch reached out to Sen. Hannon who said the difficulty with the medical marijuana legislation is that federal law makes use of marijuana a crime, and lists this substance as a Schedule One Controlled Substance.
"That means a medical professional prescribing or recommending marijuana is him or herself subject to criminal penalties. Given those federal laws, and the active prosecution of these laws by the federal government, it is reasonable to hold off on consenting to this legislation," he said.
The proposal has passed the Assembly four times but has never been brought to a vote in the Senate, even though a recent a 2013 Siena poll found that 82 percent of New Yorkers, including 81 percent of both Democrats and Republicans, support medical marijuana.
More than 600 physicians from across the state have also pledged their support for medical marijuana, according to New York Physicians for Compassionate Care.
Find out what's happening in Garden Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Do you think the bill should pass? Tell us in the comments section below.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
