Statement from State Senator Gustavo Rivera On Measures To Further Expand New York State's Medical Marijuana Program

(Albany, NY) - Today, State Senator Gustavo Rivera released the following statement after bills S1087 and S1088 failed to pass New York State’s Health Committee. These measures were introduced in an effort to further strengthen and expand our State's medical marijuana program. S1087 would have allowed certified patients in New York State to smoke medical marijuana for exclusively medical purposes. S1088 would have allowed organizations registered to sell and manufacture medical marijuana to wholesale their products at registered dispensaries operated by other companies and lifted the current restriction that caps the number of brands a registered marijuana grower is able to offer.

"I'm disappointed that my colleagues in the Health Committee failed to move these bills out of committee. The defeat of both of these measures represents a missed opportunity to make our State’s medical marijuana program more comprehensive, while expanding access to the millions of New Yorkers still in need of an alternative and more therapeutic medical treatment,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “There’s no doubt that as a State we made great strides through the implementation of the Compassionate Care Act. Nevertheless, that does not take away from the fact that our medical marijuana program continues to be one of the most restrictive programs in the country. These measures would have made this program more efficient, while maintaining strong regulations to safeguard our public health and safety. As sponsor of these bills, I’m committed to continue working hard to see these bills passed in both the Senate and the Assembly."