16 COURIER LIFE, AUG. 2-8, 2019
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will further decriminalize
marijuana use in New York state. Getty Images
• Elite HCG Protocol
• Appetite Suppressant
• Lipotropic Injections
• Reprogram Your Metabolism
We have helped countless patients
lose .5-1Ib a day Quickly, Safely,
and Effectively!!
Inquire within now!
917.444.3043
1316 Kings Highway,
Brooklyn, NY
B7 B82
www.EliteWeightLossNY.com
B Q
BY BILL PARRY
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed
legislation Monday morning
further decriminalizing
marijuana use in New York
state — a moved praised by
lawmakers as a step to balance
the scales of criminal
justice in the borough.
The new law will reduce
the penalty for unlawful possession
of marijuana to a violation
punishable by a fi ne,
and by creating a process
for individuals who have
been convicted for possessing
small amounts of marijuana
to have their records
expunged.
“Communities of color
have been disproportionately
impacted by laws governing
marijuana for far too
long, and today we are ending
this injustice once and
for all,” Cuomo said. “By providing
individuals who have
suffered the consequences of
an unfair marijuana conviction
with a path to have their
records expunged by reducing
draconian penalties, we
are taking a critical step forward
in addressing a broken
and discriminatory criminal
justice process.”
Cuomo fi rst proposed the
further decriminalization of
marijuana in 2013, and again
in the 2020 budget. The bill
will take effect in 30 days.
“This law is an important
step in righting decades
of injustice caused by the
state’s current drug laws.
Decriminalizing marijuana
and expunging records for
those with low level offenses
will go a long way towards
helping our communities,
and especially people of
color, who have been devastated
by them,” Assembly
Speaker Carl Heastie said.
“By removing the barriers
and stigma that come with
these records, we clear the
path for many New Yorkers
to find a job, housing and
go on to live successful and
productive lives.”
Queens Councilman Rory
Lancman, the chair of the
Committee on the Justice
System, had declared in June
2018 that, “No one should
ever be arrested for smoking
marijuana, period.” He applauded
the Cuomo signing.
“Marijuana enforcement
has unjustly targeted brown
and black New Yorkers, and
decriminalizing marijuana
use is a meaningful step forward
that will keep thousands
of people out of our
criminal justice system,”
Lancman said. “I thank Gov.
Cuomo and the legislature for
making this important progress,
and working to right
the wrongs of the past.”
The Legal Aid Society
says Cuomo enacting marijuana
decriminalization into
law does not go far enough.
“While in some regards
this legislation is a step forward,
including its automatic
expungement of lowlevel
marijuana charges, it
still fails to address the radically
disparate enforcement
of marijuana possession laws
or any of the collateral consequences
created by marijuana
prohibition that almost
exclusively affect black and
Latinx communities,” The
Legal Aid Society Staff Attorney
Emma Goodman said.
“Under this statute, for basic
marijuana possession, our
clients will continue to face
parole and probation violations,
continue to live in fear
of immigration detention and
deportation, and continue to
be at risk of being separated
from their family by an adult
or child protective agency.”
In conclusion, Goodman
said, “All of the collateral
consequences of marijuana
criminalization that harm
communities of color will
continue to exist. We hope
that next year Albany finally
enacts the Marijuana
Regulation and Taxation
Act, legislation that will address
these historic problems
that continue to plague
our clients and other New
Yorkers of color on a daily
basis.”
Weed all about it: Cuomo
decriminalizes marijuana
/www.EliteWeightLossNY.com
/www.EliteWeightLossNY.com