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To the Editor:
I continue to wonder why the state should even be legalizing marijuana at a time when New York is grappling with rampant drug and opioid issues. Now, two and a half years after the Legislature legalized recreational marijuana, the program has been marred with delays and dysfunction. Even by New York state standards, the rollout has been a shocking example of mismanagement and incompetence.
Incredibly, New York’s cannabis licensing process gives preferential treatment to individuals who have been convicted of a marijuana-related offense. Once again, identity politics stands in the way of common sense. Numerous legal questions about the process have been raised, including by a group of disabled veterans with experience operating profitable businesses whose only fault was being law-abiding citizens. It is pure lunacy on a scale that remains unfathomable for many.
While retail licensing has crawled to a standstill, New York’s farmers are desperate for answers. The promise of hundreds of retail locations was the premise for acres of crops planted and harvested. Now, small farmers across the state are on the brink of financial ruin. And, in a direct plea, Jeannette Miller, a farmer from Erie County, stood in front of the Cannabis Control Board with a noose around her neck and said, “I feel like I’m going to hang myself. We’re tired. We’re done. We’re struggling. We need help. You don’t answer.”
Normally, I would provide an official link to her comments from the public meeting so you can see for yourself. Unfortunately, the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) did not like what she had to say; her comments were removed from the video they posted online of the event. Confronted by the truth, the reality of the situation is being ignored by the board. With each passing moment, crops across the state are rotting away. For OCM and the governor, it is just a pile of rotted weed, but for farmers, it is a personal investment and their livelihoods going up in smoke.
The rush to legalize marijuana has ignored glaring public safety concerns, despite the issue of cannabis-impaired driving surfacing in other states. Colorado recorded 79 vehicle fatalities where the driver tested positive for marijuana in 2021. As such, the New York state Department of Health is once again seeking information and technology to detect cannabis-impaired driving — something that should have been done before a legalization bill ever made its way to the floor. Unfortunately, it appears the tools and resources needed by law enforcement to keep our roads safe remain few and far between.
As New York tries to take steps forward on recreational marijuana, I fear how many steps back are still to come.
Will Barclay
Minority Leader
New York state Assembly
Pulaski
Related: New York’s Cannabis Advisory Board admits it hasn’t been doing its job