Is this an April-fools joke or did New York legalize weed?

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

Virginia and New Mexico.
Virginia - July 1rst, 2021!
New Mexico - State house/senate both passed it and it’s up to the democratic governor to sign.
Yeah, I think Pennsylvania will go legal later this year.

All the dominoes are starting to fall. Started mapping stuff out; if you were driving from Mew York to California this summer you could stop every night in a legal state.

Tom

I lived in New Mexico. It is or has already been basically legal there. It is legal, or decriminalised, for 'medicinal' use-I know hash and THC can be used medicinally-but if anyone wants a medical card to legally buy and grow pot it is super easy for any adult to get from various doctors.

I did not smoke or use pot or hashish there but I would walk around the largest city and people would openly smoke pot in public, there are stores any adult can go into and buy pot, hash, or THC-they do not ask to see a med card. A neighbor next door smoked pot daily outside of his home and neighbors who were police and NM State Troopers did not care.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I've always been surprised by the fact that new york hasnt legalized weed previously, as I picture them as progressive though amittedly I've never actually been there. Canada has had weed legalized for a few years now on a federal level.

You'd think that, but actually New York kind of has an authoritarian political culture IME...a look at the two most famous current New York politicians, Trump and Cuomo, is illustrative of this I think...not to mention other New York politicos like Bloomberg, Giuliani, Nelson Rockefeller etc...t's also heavily-influenced by "machine politics", like other states such as neighboring New Jersey or Illinois, and in situations like that there's always someone in the hierarchy with their hand out waiting for their "cut" So I think that's really hobbled legalization efforts too.

My extended family all hails from NY so I've spent a lot of time there. There are a ton of things I love about it, such as food, cultural diversity etc. but the political culture there sucks compared to the more libertarian-leaning American West where I grew up IMO. Doesn't matter if you're right-wing or left-wing, everybody lives so close together that everyone's up each others ass over something, and the authoritarian outlook & corruption in the state hampers real reform on the issue...same in Jersey, where their medical marijuana program had almost no access points, and you had to be literally dying of a terminal illness to be able to qualify

They're being dragged into the future though :D

 

[Iceman1216]

NYC is a place “ who you Know, Who you are “
Don’t know much about upstate , never been there in my 60 years here
But legal will be great

 

[JackARoe]

I dont think people should smoke cigarettes or joints while around other people period. Respect. Even when I smoked cigarettes I would find a secluded spot to blow smoke and never inside. But damn I remember office buildings in the 70s that allowed people to smoke right at their desk. Desks had ashtrays and everyone in the office had the odor of an ashtray.

But really, we need to respect others. While I don't want people telling me what to do I also don't want to blow smoke in their face.

Honestly though, I never knew a time where people hid their smoking in say Central Park. NJ was tougher. Bergen County would arrest you in a heartbeat.

Federal legalization is up next. It is sad that say Arkansas or Oklahoma will still arrest you as if it were a criminal thing. The law has to change for that to stop.

 

[LordOfThisWorld]

I dont think people should smoke cigarettes or joints while around other people period. Respect. Even when I smoked cigarettes I would find a secluded spot to blow smoke and never inside. But damn I remember office buildings in the 70s that allowed people to smoke right at their desk. Desks had ashtrays and everyone in the office had the odor of an ashtray.

But really, we need to respect others. While I don't want people telling me what to do I also don't want to blow smoke in their face.

Honestly though, I never knew a time where people hid their smoking in say Central Park. NJ was tougher. Bergen County would arrest you in a heartbeat.

Federal legalization is up next. It is sad that say Arkansas or Oklahoma will still arrest you as if it were a criminal thing. The law has to change for that to stop.

I agree completely, that’s what I was trying to say in my post, I’m for the legalization of marijuana and other drugs, just show some respect around other people especially if there are children around.

 

[kaosisallwesee]

Wait... didn't the US start all this "drug war" shit? Now we are being envied by others?
WTH?
Not exactly sure what it is I am trying to realize but it must be something.

Surprised Cuomo is still in office. But bully for NT, I say (legalizing rec use). And up to three Os? Damnnnnnn! I get the anxiety must be ultra-high on the streets of NY but how much ya need to make it to the store?

I do see the irony, but I think you guys just got lucky lol. You got those state things that have actual power to write their own laws, despite what the federal government have to say about it (I know its not that simple but im going with that). If it was just down to one central federal government it wouldn't have been possible.
I'm not having a dig or anything just saying that the political situation allowed it to happen with a lot more ease than other countries, like the UK.
We just get the choice between dickhead after dickhead who all seem to think we're children who can make up our own minds about cannabis use. Although, we do have many many underground dispensaries/coffee shops that openly sell cannabis in all its forms, they have opening times and menus, pool tables and big TVs. Once you get inside it feels as legit as any coffee shop in 'dam or social club in Spain.
I'm honestly starting to think the UK will be one of the last western nations to legalise. In the mean time its hardly illegal anyway lol.
But yep, you're some lucky guys over there in regards to state rights. I wish we has something similar, we'd definitely have a few legal counties if they could decide for themselves.
Sorry ranted a bit there.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I think that you're on to something there. That's one of the aspects of the American system that I think is dynamic and positive, the idea of states as "laboratories of democracy", the idea that states can attempt different solutions to the same issues and, based on their success, export that to other states. I was reading that that's how "right on red" came to be...it used to be that it was illegal to make a right turn when stopped at a red light everywhere basically, then California (iirc) legalized it and it spread. It really works to the advantage of drug reform advocates, despite having limitations...if a state had legalized marijuana during a previous era, the American government would've cited federal law and not allowed that to take place...that's why it was important to have the social/cultural element in place, to undermine the case for prohibition, raise awareness among the people regarding the harms of making cannabis illegal and building weed's popularity by illustrating the potential benefits of cannabis, etc, really just disseminate our propaganda in an effective way. I've been impressed by how well some of the advocacy groups and pro-cannabis folks have accomplished this.

The fact that the federal government spent billions and billions of dollars fighting a prohibitionist war against cannabis, a war they lost, I think that now opens the door for a much-needed reappraisal of federal policy regarding a wide range of other drugs as well, and hopefully some fresh perspectives and strategies will start to be implemented by various states (probably starting on the west coast, which always seems ahead of the east coast when it comes to innovative drug policy)

 

[Pickledlemons]

I do see the irony, but I think you guys just got lucky lol. You got those state things that have actual power to write their own laws, despite what the federal government have to say about it (I know its not that simple but im going with that). If it was just down to one central federal government it wouldn't have been possible.
I'm not having a dig or anything just saying that the political situation allowed it to happen with a lot more ease than other countries, like the UK.
We just get the choice between dickhead after dickhead who all seem to think we're children who can make up our own minds about cannabis use. Although, we do have many many underground dispensaries/coffee shops that openly sell cannabis in all its forms, they have opening times and menus, pool tables and big TVs. Once you get inside it feels as legit as any coffee shop in 'dam or social club in Spain.
I'm honestly starting to think the UK will be one of the last western nations to legalise. In the mean time its hardly illegal anyway lol.
But yep, you're some lucky guys over there in regards to state rights. I wish we has something similar, we'd definitely have a few legal counties if they could decide for themselves.
Sorry ranted a bit there.

Here in Canada there was a thriving gray cannabis market before legalization but the government came and shut everything down, shops and lounges all over bc were raided, right before legalization. Now there's legal shops so meh... I think they wanted to make sure no criminal element was involved and I like it to be legal and regulated but some of the regulations are so stupid.