Pubdate: Tue, 07 Jan 2014
Source: New York Post (NY)
Copyright: 2014 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc.
Contact: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/letters_editor.htm
Website: http://www.nypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/296
Author: Carl Campanile

CAUTIOUS CUOMO BACKS OUT OF DOPE PLAN

Gov. Cuomo said he is abandoning a plan to decriminalize possession of
small amounts of marijuana, while defending his latest proposal to
have the drug accessible for medical use.

The governor said Monday that he is ditching the plan for legalizing
small amounts of weed because possession arrests due to
stop-and-frisks are no longer a major factor.

He has previously pushed legislation to decriminalize the drug because
of the policy's effect on minority communities.

The NYPD has dramatically reduced stop-and-frisk searches, and a
federal judge has deemed some of the searches unconstitutional.

Also, Cuomo's proposal had stiff opposition in the state
Senate.

But the governor defended his new proposal to dispense marijuana for
medical use to patients suffering from cancer and other ailments at 20
hospitals across the state.

Cuomo emphasized it is a limited experiment to see if medical
marijuana can be administered "without ancillary problems." He opposes
any additional legislative action to sanction medical marijuana.

"It's not a law, so it's not the Legislature telling me what I have to
do. And that gives me great comfort," he said.

Meanwhile, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans support
legalization of marijuana.

In the CNN opinion poll, 55 percent of people questioned said that the
drug should be made legal, as has been done in Colorado and Washington
state; only 44 percent disagree.  
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