How Looser Medical Marijuana Laws Could Bite NY In The Bud

The Brian Lehrer Show spent three weeks looking at the issues facing marijuana legalization in the tri-state area for a series called Reefer, Managed. Here’s the first of three stories cataloguing some of their findings for Gothamist.

As New York’s legislature struggles to reach a consensus on how to legalize recreational marijuana, some lawmakers are also seeking to expand the state’s existing medical marijuana program, which is one of the most restrictive in the country.

Senator Diane Savino and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried are co-sponsoring a new bill that would allow companies currently registered to grow and distribute medical cannabis products to increase the number of their dispensaries.

“So we need to double the number of dispensaries minimally. We need to add more registered organizations,” Senator Savino recently said on the FAQ NYC podcast. “We need to eliminate conditions as a requirement and leave that up to doctors and patients. We need to lift the restriction on smoking.” [Read more at Gothamist]