Legal Marijuana For New York Will Be Recommended In State Report

NEW YORK, NY — New York may soon become the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana. A forthcoming report from the state Department of Health will recommend creating a "legal, regulated marijuana program," a top health official said Monday.

"We realized that the pros outweigh the cons, and the report recommends that a regulated, legal marijauna program be available to adults in the state of New York," Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, told reporters.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo commissioned the report in January, asking state officials to examine the potential health, criminal justice and economic impacts of legalizing the drug for recreational use.

The report has not been finalized or published. Zucker did not offer specifics of how New York's program would work, but said the report examined questions such as how marijuana would be taxed, where it would be grown and age restrictions on the drug.

As Cuomo has, he cited the fact that nearby states such as Massachusetts and Vermont have legalized pot for recreational use.

"When new facts come in you have to look at the analysis, you have to figure out what kind of decision do you make at that point in time," Zucker said. "So we have new facts, we have new data, and as a result of that make the decision to move forward."

New York is among the 29 states that allow the medical use of marijuana. Cuomo has opposed full legalization, but his position has softened as progressive politicians — including Cynthia Nixon, his Democratic primary opponent in this year's gubernatorial race — have embraced it.

The state will also let people who use opioids participate in the existing medical marijuana program, Zucker announced Monday.

The Department of Health plans to add opioid use to the list of qualifying conditions for the program, which currently includes 12 diseases such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

The move will allow New Yorkers to use marijuana instead of dangerous opioids for pain relief. Research has shown pot can reduce opioid use and trim the risk of overdose deaths, health officials said.

"The opioid epidemic in New York State is an unprecedented crisis, and it is critical to ensure that providers have as many options as possible to treat patients in the most effective way," Zucker said in a statement.

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