The political divide between New York City and upstate New York is definitely real – even if there is a debate about what really is considered “upstate”. That said, was that why adult-use cannabis legislation failed to pass this past session? 

The friction between the more liberal and conservative sides of the state can be found in numerous examples and attempts at legislation. However, while cannabis views do certainly differ, the opposition to cannabis extended into New York City’s region while crossing across the aisle as well. 

If you use cannabis on your own time in a state where it is legal, should that be grounds for terminating your employment or rejecting your application for a job? Advocates are starting to say no, and demanding action to protest workers’ rights to use cannabis without the fear of the sack and unemployment.

Some states have already made progress in this direction. Yet California, which led the way toward opening legal space for cannabis with the Propositio 215 medical marijuana initiative in 1996, is not among them. Neither 215 nor the Prop 64 adult-use legalization initiative exactly 20 years later provided any such protections.

Cannabis has been decriminalized in New York State after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed off on the new legislation last month.

The new law has converted the possession of under two ounces of cannabis from a misdemeanor into a violation. As a result,  offenders will receive a ticket to appear in court, followed by a $50 fine if convicted of possession of less than one ounce, and a $200 fine if convicted of possessing less than two ounces.

In a decision that attorneys say could open the door to other class-action lawsuits, a petition has been approved to seal the criminal records of 350 people with marijuana misdemeanors in Manhattan.

America’s gone to pot, with the number of marijuana smokers spiking dramatically— even in states where it’s illegal — in recent years, a new study shows.

The number of folks who admitted to monthly weed use in states where the drug isn’t allowed recreationally has soared 33 percent since 2002, according to an analysis of federal data by the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

And the increase is even, well, higher — 47 percent — in states where lighting up is legal, according to the sprawling survey of all 50 states.

AS New York becomes the 16th American state to decriminalise the use of marijuana and countries around the world are changing their approach on use of the drug, campaigners are calling for the UK to overhaul its laws - at a time when Scotland’s drugs deaths have been revealed to be the highest in the world.

Step inside any given bodega on the streets of New York City and you’ll find displays for a variety of CBD products somewhere between the Horny Goat Weed and the Stackers 2s. Much like everywhere else in the United States, convenience stores, trucks stops and other places where people purchase gasoline and snacks or just ask to use the bathroom have stocked their shelves with hemp-derived CBD in hopes of striking it rich on one of the most insane trends to ever sweep the country.

Though New York residents will still have to wait for legal cannabis, the state made a big step forward this week by decriminalizing the plant.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill on Monday that decriminalizes cannabis use and will expunge criminal record related to cannabis offenses for some people.

The bill, which had been approved by the state legislature earlier this year, will reduce cannabis possession to a misdemeanor subject to a fine and any possession under two ounces will not be punished. Governor Cuomo has previously mentioned how these low-level marijuana charges have unfairly targeted minority groups in the state.

After months of will-they-won’t-they activity, both New Jersey and New York failed to deliver on legalizing adult-use cannabis. What once seemed to be foregone conclusions to many turned out to be two hard doses of reality that leaves citizens and lawmakers with a foul taste in their mouths. 

Instead of adult-use legalization, both have since pivoted to focus on expanding other cannabis parameters.

In New York, lawmakers flipped focus to expanding the state’s partial decriminalization law enacted in 1977. The move aims to address the social justice issues Governor Andrew Cuomo has championed since changing his opinion on legalization.

Vireo Health of New York (“Vireo” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Vireo Health International (CSE: VREO), a leading physician-led, science-focused multi-state cannabis company, today announced that patients living in the New York City metro area, Westchester County, and Nassau County now have access to free, same-day marijuana delivery.