One of New York’s most influential labor unions has endorsed medical marijuana. A.F.L.-C.I.O. has announced that it supports the Compassionate Care Act, which is New York’s most comprehensive medical marijuana bill in play right now. Supporters are hopeful that the endorsement will help boost the bill’s chances in the New York Legislature. Per Capital New York:
“”The medical marijuana issue has been debated not just over the course of this legislative session but for many years; other states have moved forward and its time New York does the same,” A.F.L.-C.I.O. president Mario Cilento wrote in a newsletter to the union’s members.
“The argument that this bill will help patients and improve care for thousands of ill New Yorkers should be enough to merit passage,” Cilento wrote, adding that the bill would also fit into the union’s “Making NY Work for Hardworking New Yorkers” agenda by creating new industries to help improve the state’s economy.”
Medical marijuana in New York is way overdue. There have been multiple attempts to pass a medical marijuana bill in New York throughout the years, but until recently, the chances of it happening were not strong. Things have changed, with the Compassionate Care Act passing the New York Assembly (again), and gaining traction in the Senate.
The New York Assembly has passed similar legislation multiple times in the past, with the real fight always occurring in the Senate. There are multiple sponsors in the New York Senate this time around. I’m hopeful that the new sponsors, combined with the A.F.L.-C.I.O. endorsement, are enough to push the Compassionate Care Act over the top in the Senate.
