New York senators have introduced a bill for the 2025 session to broadly decriminalize drug possession.
The legislation from Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D) and four cosponsors would both eliminate criminal and civil penalties for drug possession while also creating a task force that’d be responsible for studying and making recommendations about additional reforms.
A justification memo attached to the measure emphasizes that substance misuse is widely considered a health condition, yet “New York and other states in the USA have treated it as a moral failing and a crime.”
“This approach has led to the stigmatization and incarceration of millions with this disease, contrasting sharply with the compassionate treatment afforded to individuals with other illnesses like cancer or anxiety disorders,” it says. “While those with these conditions are generally viewed as deserving of support and medical care, individuals with substance use disorders are often disparaged, criminalized, and deemed unworthy of assistance and compassion.”
“For far too long, New York and the rest of the U.S. have centered their responses to drug use around enforcement, maintaining this approach long after it became evident that such costly policies failed to achieve their intended goals of preventing illicit drug use. The proposed legislation
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
