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In his State of the State address yesterday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to legalize medical marijuana. Cuomo said he will use a special executive order to legalize medical marijuana on a limited basis at 20 hospitals and for specific conditions only.
“Research suggests that medical marijuana can help manage the pain and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses,” Cuomo said. “We will monitor the program to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a medical marijuana system.”
The move for legal weed in New York State is a major shift for Cuomo, who made clear as recently as last April that he opposed the idea, questioning whether it could be properly regulated. However, Gov. Cuomo, who is up for reelection in November, has always vowed to keep an open mind about the issue, saying it is an “evolving one.”
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“I do not support medical marijuana. I understand the pros and cons. I understand the argument,” the Democratic governor told reporters then. “We are looking at it, but at this point, I don’t support medical marijuana.”
Twenty states have legalized medical marijuana. On January 1st, Colorado began allowing recreational marijuana use. New York State will now join the list of states allowing medicinal marijuana.
