City Laws
It was in 1914 that New York first levied restrictions on cannabis. The state along with the cities, including Albany, started asking people for prescriptions to buy the drug. Over the years, people were arrested, fined, and wrongly charged. Because it was observed that Blacks were being unfairly issued tickets for marijuana consumption, the government felt the need to end partial decriminalization.
As a result, in July 2014, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill to legalize marijuana for medical purposes across the state. Patients, therefore, need an MMJ Card to legally consume marijuana. To qualify for the medical marijuana card, medical marijuana doctors in Albany decide, after proper analysis, whether the condition of the patient in Albany is deserving.
Under the 2014 medical marijuana program, the state Department of Health was allowed to provide only non-smoked methods of cannabis consumption. Thus, the state, along with its cities, allows medicinal cannabis in only oil or liquid forms. The patients can consume it via vaporizers, inhalers, or capsules. Smoking bud and consuming edibles are strictly prohibited.
Note: The medical marijuana doctors in Albany are obliged to give their patients the brand name of the drug. Besides this, its recommended method of administration is to be given along with.
Coming to recreational marijuana, it was illegal until a turn of events that took place on 31 March 2021. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on this day, signed a bill that legalized recreational marijuana in New York, making it the 15th state to do so.
Note: While recreational marijuana is now legal, the legal recreational sales aren’t expected to start for another year or two.