New York 21st state to allow medical marijuana

New York would become the 21st US state to allow medical use of marijuana under an executive action by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Gov. Cuomo plans to announce in his State of the State on Wednesday that he will use executive powers to have 20 hospitals dispense medical marijuana, the New York Times reported.

The initiative invokes a 1980 law allowing research into marijuana use for “patients who are involved in a life-threatening or sense-threatening situation,” such as cancer and glaucoma, the report said.

Gov. Cuomo, a Democrat, had long opposed legalizing medical marijuana.

The most recent state to legalize marijuana was Colorado where people have rushed to buy the drug for recreational use since it became legal on January 1.

Cuomo’s plan will be more restrictive than the laws in Colorado and California where people with mild conditions can buy the drug.

In states that permit medical marijuana, it is commonly prescribed for chronic pain, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, glaucoma and some other conditions.

The New York Department of Health will develop the regulations for the plan, allowing select hospitals to apply for licenses.

Opponents of medical marijuana believe the risks of smoking this drug outweigh the possible benefits, while others question whether patients really improve or only feel like they improve.