Medical marijuana may be coming to New York soon. A bill to legalize the possession and use of the drug was recently proposed by New York State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and is being pushed by supporters of legalization. The bill stipulates that distribution will only be allowed by licensed entities under the supervision of the New York State Department of Health and will be limited to two and a half ounces. Despite these measures, opponents claim the bill would send the wrong message to the public. [continues 348 words]
A new bill in the state legislature may amend New York drug laws to make it easier for drug offenders to receive treatment instead of prison sentences. The bill to reform the Rockefeller drug laws, named for former governor Nelson Rockefeller who enacted the laws in 1973, passed in the New York State Assembly last Wednesday by a vote of 96 to 46. Current laws require mandatory prison sentences for the sale and possession of illegal drugs depending on the weight of the drugs involved. Medical treatment for offenders is granted only with the prosecutor's consent. [continues 228 words]
In the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, the U.S. should look to unconventional sources of income to improve its financial position, to help relieve us from our disproportionate debt, and to create new sources of labor to tackle the increasingly high unemployment rate. That being said, the legalization of marijuana remains unparalleled in its financial potential. The amount of money the government loses annually through the prohibition of marijuana, in its failed attempts to catch, prosecute, incarcerate and publicize marijuana in a negative light, must be a titanic number, a number that derives new meaning in a time of an exceptional economic downturn. This money -- coupled with the potential of tax revenue, competition among new businesses, and employment that would result -- would not only allow a great amount of governmental wealth to be saved but also an exceptional amount of money to be generated and spread about. [continues 575 words]
A student who was caught with drugs in his dorm room last year won his appeal against NYU last week after claiming the university's punishment was too harsh. But now NYU is appealing the ruling. Michael Quercia, a math major from North Babylon, New York, was sentenced to 500 hours of community service and kicked out of school until 2007 or later by the University Judicial Board after Public Safety officials found what was suspected to be marijuana in his Lafayette Street residence hall suite. [continues 463 words]
A students rights organization filed a lawsuit last week challenging the constitutionality of a federal law that strips students of financial aid if they are convicted of drug offenses while receiving the funding. The Students for Sensible Drug Policy, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, is contesting the "aid elimination provision" of the Higher Education Act that has denied aid to nearly 200,000 students since 2000. The Higher Education Act was established in the 1960s under President Lyndon B. Johnson to increase access to and affordability of higher education. The drug provision was added when President Bill Clinton reauthorized the act in 1998. [continues 529 words]
If the plans of two civil rights groups to sue the United States government succeed; hundreds more students might gain access to a college education by becoming eligible for federal financial aid. Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the American Civil Liberties Union are currently searching for plaintiffs to file a lawsuit against the government in hopes of repealing the portion of the Higher Education Act's "drug provision" that denies those with drug convictions federal financial aid. First made law under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and reauthorized in 1998 under President Bill Clinton, the HEA was established to "increase access to college, [and] make higher education more affordable," according to the Department of Education's archives. [continues 451 words]
