With Earth Day rapidly approaching, we’ve recently been thinking about all things green. While green urbanism projects and recycling initiatives have all come up, there’s been a new topic added to the discussion: the legalization of marijuana in NYC. Besides the obvious reasons, this bill for New York is being highly debated because it only calls for the legalization of marijuana, but not the decriminalization of weed (like in Alaska, Colorado, and Washington). What’s the difference, and why?
According to the New York Times and Rolling Stone, here’s the deal:
The new bill would only allow for 20 medical dispensaries, run by five organizations, to be established throughout the state, which would handcuff accessibility for many potential patients. Only patients suffering from a shortlist of 10 “severe debilitating or life-threatening” conditions, ranging from multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease to ALS and AIDS, would be allowed to acquire medical marijuana.
With this information, here is our question for you: If the bill passes, will it be as effective as people are hoping it to be? Saturday Night Live covers this topic and explains the matter in a humorous way. Check it out below, and then tell us how you really feel about the legalization of marijuana in NYC!