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Welcome to the home of New Yorkers for Compassionate Care (NYCC)
We are here to advocate for the bills currently in the NY State Assembly and Senate which would allow seriously ill patients in NY access to cannabis as medicine.

Only public support will help New York Medical Marijauna become legal!

The state legislature adjourned without the Senate's Republican majority calling a vote on medical marijuana. The state Assembly passed medical marijuana legislation last June, and again on June 18. But because the Senate did not follow suit, thousands of patients are still suffering.

Please take a moment to visit http://control.mpp.org/site/R?i=qcjzPhJsteywgkFv8_MFaA.. to see how your Assembly member voted on Assemblyman Richard Gottfried's medical marijuana bill and "thank" or "spank" him or her. Please remember to be polite and brief, no matter how your Assembly member voted, and to keep the focus on medical marijuana.

Thank you to the hundreds who took the time to call or write your state senators. Tremendous progress has been made in New York over the last several years. A prestigious coalition of supporters has lined up to support allowing medical marijuana, including organizations representing the state's nurses, doctors, and medical schools and three city councils. Numerous editorial boards have also called for action, with the most recent addition being the Oneonta Daily Star.

And, most importantly, the Assembly has voted twice to allow medical marijuana. The issue has garnered bipartisan support. Seven Republican Assembly members co-sponsored the Assembly bill, and Sen. Joseph Bruno, who was the Senate majority leader until yesterday, said he supports allowing medical marijuana..

A special thank you to the many patients who bravely spoke out in interviews, to their legislators, in TV or newspaper ads, and in testimonials. Thank you to Burton Aldrich, Glenn Amandola, Nicholas Calderon, Bruce Dunn, Barbara Jackson, Fred McLaughlin, Joel Peacock, Dr. Kevin Smith, Chris Taylor, Richard Williams, and Jeannine Zagiel, and the many others who raised your voices. And many thanks to each of you who have donated to this effort to make MPP's robust campaign of polling, grassroots calls, lobbying, and advertising possible. Thank you especially to Vince Marrone, who has done a terrific job lobbying for the bill and building the impressive coalition of support.

The tide is coming. It is only a matter of time before New York patients do not have to choose between obeying the law and relieving their suffering. It is possible, however, that for change to happen in the near future, the Senate Republicans will need to lose their two-seat majority in the November elections. So far, the majority has proven unwilling to call a vote on this compassionate issue.

Sincerely,

Karen O'Keefe
Assistant Director of State Policies
Marijuana Policy Project

Patients' voices needed to pass medical marijuana legislation  

But the Senate has not yet acted on the issue and hundreds of patients in New York still go to bed every night, afraid that their doors will be kicked in for using their medicine.

The legislature just reconvened, and it's time for you to let your senator know that this injustice must end: The seriously ill shouldn't have to risk arrest to use the medicine their doctors say will work best.

Here's how you can help:

1) Send an e-mail to your state senator today.

You can use the pre-written letters there or — better yet — write your own. After you're happy with the letter, simply type in your name and address, and our automated system will send it to your state senator.

2) Call your state senator.

Click here to find out who your state senate representative is by zip code. This will show you who it is, and provides a link to a page with all of their info. Call their office and ask to make a comment. Before making the call, you might want to take a look over our background sheet about the bill; we've provided talking points and answers to some common questions.

3) Spread the word!

Please pass this on to your friends, family, and e-mail lists to urge others to contact their state senators. We've seen constituent pressure convince legislators to stand up for patients in Vermont and Rhode Island. Now, we need your help to bring compassion to the Statehouse in New York.

Thank you for supporting NYCC. Please tell your friends and family about this page, so that even more voices for reform can be heard.

Recent poll shows Conservative Party members support medical marijuana

Ask your state senator to protect New York's seriously ill from arrest

A newly released poll shows that the majority of New York state's Conservative Party members support allowing medical marijuana! That's right: A July poll found that 55% of Conservative Party members support allowing patients to grow and use marijuana with their doctors' approval, and only 35% oppose doing so.

So what is the state Senate waiting for? The state's medical community, 76% of New Yorkers, and the majority of voters from every significant political party support allowing medical marijuana. The Assembly already passed compassionate legislation in June, and the governor indicated his support for the issue.

Please take a moment to write your state senator to ask him or her to ensure that patients finally get the relief that they deserve. You can choose from one of our pre-written letters or draft your own. Please let your senator know that New York's seriously ill patients shouldn't have to risk arrest any longer: The Senate should enact medical marijuana legislation during a special session.

The state Senate has come back to session two times since it adjourned in late June. But both times it failed to take up legislation to stop the arrest of sick and dying medical marijuana patients. Now it's clear that, in addition to being the humane thing to do, supporting medical marijuana is popular even among the state's most conservative voters.