Let’s Legalize Marijuana in New York State! (Regulate it and Tax it!)

-Dennis Levy

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his marijuana proposal this year. He publicly endorsed legislation to decriminalize marijuana "in public view". Governor Cuomo got the support of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and the city’s prosecutors. Republicans blocked the legislation for the same old reasons that proved false in the past i.e. Marijuana is a dangerous drug that must be controlled. It’s clearly time for marijuana supporters in New York to step up to the plate and get marijuana legalized in the big apple. Here are the facts:

A total of 16 states and the District of Columbia have so far passed laws allowing some degree of medical use of marijuana (10 of the 16 by majority vote of the citizens). In October 2011, Gallup poll showed 50 percent support for legalizing marijuana and 46 percent said marijuana should remain illegal. The highest support for legalization came from liberals and adults under age 30, with more than 60 percent and the lowest support came from Americans over age 65 with 31 percent. A full 61 percent of New York voters believe the state government should legalize medical marijuana, while only a third of voters oppose the reform.

From a medical stand point, Marijuana helps control nausea, vomiting, wasting and anxiety from AIDs, cancer and chemotherapy treatments, and can also help with pain and other symptoms of debilitating diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The Medical Society of the state of New York and the New York State Nurses Association support legalizing the drug for medical use. Moreover, legalizing marijuana for medical use does not increase recreational use of Marijuana by teens. Indeed, every scientific study has said Marijuana is harmless.

Nevertheless, the NYPD arrested and jailed nearly 400,000 people for possessing small amounts of marijuana between 1997 and 2007, a tenfold increase in marijuana arrests over the previous decade, according to a report released by the New York Civil Liberties Union. In 2011, NYPD made upwards of 60,000 arrests for Marijuana Possession and Blacks and Latino comprise 85% of arrests even though White youth were more likely to use marijuana. Governor Cuomo said that the present law is "incongruous" and "disproportionately" effects black and Hispanic youth. The pending bipartisan legislation - Senate Bill 5187 and Assembly Bill 7620 - would equalize minor marijuana possession penalties to a non-criminal, fine-only offense. According to the Associated Press, Cuomo's proposal differs slightly from these measures because it would retain criminal misdemeanor penalties for cannabis smoking in public.

. Last year, a small group of Marijuana advocates organized the ‘New York State Committee to Legalize Marijuana’. There mission is to support legislation that ‘Legalizes, Regulates, and Taxes Marijuana’ in New York State. They began organizing on Facebook and quickly got hundreds of people to ‘like’ their page and support their mission. Based on that success, they want to do outreach in New York City Communities by setting up a “Marijuana Table” on street corners to distribute information on Marijuana to the community. In addition, they will educate politicians about the medical benefits of marijuana & suLet’s Legalize Marijuana in New York State!
(Regulate it and Tax it!)bscribe them to a free online ‘New York State Marijuana Newsletter’ featuring updated scientific articles on marijuana and articles from people and organizations that support legalization of marijuana.

For more information e-mail New York State Committee To Legalize Marijuana at: levicobx@yahoo.com or to view the videos and information about marijuana on FB please visit: http://on.fb.me/zktFkN

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Comment by Darcy Delaproser on July 20, 2012 at 2:29am: Dennis Levy
The 'Sentencing Project' found that 1 out of 3 Black men born today are expected to go to prison. It's a cradle to prison pipeline for young Black men. And, the majority of black men will be released from prison into the community unskilled, undereducated, and highly likely to become re-involved in criminal activity. Nearly two-thirds of black men released from prison are expected to be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years of their release. Such high recidivism rates translate into thousands of new victimizations each year. New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said 90% of the violent crimes are committed by young black men. With so many ex-offenders returning to prison, it is clear that the punitive, incarceration-based approach to crime prevention is not working. "We have to save ourselves," Rev. Al Sharpton said. In that spirit of self-reliance, Sharpton went on to support the creation of the 'Second Chance Committee'. I am chairman of the 'Second Chance Committee'.
The Second Chance Committee's mission is to provide 'Life Skill Workshops' to formerly incarcerated black men and women to help them make a positive re-entry back into our community. The goal of the 'Life Skill Workshops' is to educate and change the negative influence of the prison system on the minds of primarily young black men. For example, our workshop focuses on a Civil Rights perspective. It gives young black men pride to stand tall after learning the history of the Civil Rights Struggle from Rev. Sharpton and other Civil Rights leaders. The 'Education' workshops help young black men finish school and go on to higher education. The more education received, the less likely an individual is to be re-arrested or re-imprisoned. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, inmates with at least two years of college education have a 10% re-arrest rate, compared to a national re-arrest rate of approximately 60%.
Unfortunately, many young black men return to our community from prison educated to be better criminals. This dead-end policy must be changed. Education can afford formerly incarcerated black men with the opportunity to achieve and maintain a productive and crime free life. The Second Chance life skills workshops can provide a critical service to New York City by providing a 'cost effective' program that reduce unnecessary reliance on incarceration, reduce recidivism and promotes public safety. Let's give young black men and women a second chance and assist them to change their behaviors and lead law abiding lives.
Dennis Levy is a formerly incarcerated black man who is Chairman of Rev. Al Sharpton's Second Chance Committee. He is also the Executive Director of the 'Black And Latino AIDS Coalition', Inc. who has written for the Amsterdam Newspaper and the Beacon Newspaper. . Levy lives in Manhattan with his son. For more information: E-Mail: levicobx@yahoo.com.
@Dennis Levy