Title:
New York Senate fails to call medical marijuana vote before session ends
Message:
New York patients still waiting for protections
Thank you so much to all of you for your hard work — it has really shown throughout the year. On November 29, the New York state legislature returned for special session, and we had hoped the Senate Democratic leadership would bring S. 8427, MPP’s medical marijuana legislation, up for a vote. However, in his last substantive day in control of the Senate legislative agenda, Democratic Majority Conference Leader John Sampson did not call our bill for a vote. The Senate returned again on December 7 to little effect, and adjourned for the year, along with the Assembly.
Shame on the New York legislature for leaving patients out in the cold for yet another year. Both Democrats and Republicans failed to stand up and do the right thing for seriously ill New Yorkers. While many Democrats supported the bill, 32 of New York’s 62 state senators never came out publicly for medical marijuana legislation, urging Leader Sampson to call the bill for a vote.
Shame on outgoing Governor David Paterson (D) for poisoning the well and blocking our best chance this year — the bill’s inclusion in the state budget in June, which was agreed to by legislative leaders, but blocked by Gov. Paterson. When we needed leadership to push this bill over the hump, he was nowhere to be found.
Seriously ill New Yorkers remain at risk of arrest and have no way to safely get their medicine. It is unclear now when the bill will finally be able to pass, and until then, any patient suffering without medicine should be on legislators’ consciences.
Sadly, a supposedly “progressive” New York seems to care less about its seriously ill citizens than other states do. It is pathetic that 32 New York senators could not pass something supported by 71% of New Yorkers and approved by voters in the far less progressive states of Arizona, Montana, and Michigan. MPP has worked hard to pass this bill for eight years, employing an in-state lobbyist, coordinating grassroots pressure, generating press, sending out mass mailings to medical professionals, placing advertisements, directing constituent calls to legislators, and doing whatever needed to be done. My colleague, Karen O’Keefe, and I have been very proud to work to pass this legislation, and we are as disappointed as you are at the lack of a vote.
There are many others who have worked incredibly hard for this bill. Vince Marrone, of Public Strategies, LLC, has served as MPP’s lobbyist in New York for most of the last eight years, and has done an amazing job communicating with and educating legislators on this issue. NY Patients First, a patient advocacy group, which includes activists Rob Robinson, Jen Rog, Adam Scavone, and Evan Nison, has also organized great patient press coverage and worked with volunteers in support of the bill. The bill’s sponsors, Assembly Health Committee Chair Dick Gottfried (D-Manhattan) and Senate Health Committee Chair Tom Duane (D-Manhattan), as well as Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), deserve huge kudos for their work in advocating for patients.
We have had the privilege of working with many heroic patient spokespeople throughout the years in New York. While not an exhaustive list, this includes: Montel Williams, Joel Peacock, Sherry Greene, Jamin Sewell, Barbara Jackson (R.I.P.), Joe Gamble, Burt Aldrich, Richard Williams, Glenn Amandola, Leba London, Diane Riportella, Drew White, Arlene Williams, John DeSimone, Mike Weyand, Chris Taylor, Nicholas Calderon, Steve Houghtalig, Bruce Dunn, Fred McLaughlin, and the other patients who shared their testimonials on our page.
Dr. Howard Grossman has been very helpful, as has Professor Mitch Earleywine. All the New York State organizations who endorsed this legislative effort also deserve a big thank you, including the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Housing Works, the New York City Council, the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, the Medical Society of the State of New York, and the Oncology Nursing Society (NYS Chapter).
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message on to your friends and family. We plan to continue the fight and hope you will continue to work by our side. It may be a long battle, but eventually justice and compassion will prevail.
