N.Y. To Ease Restrictive Regulations Surrounding Medical Marijuana Program
The state's Health Department is issuing several new policies following criticism that the process was too cumbersome.
The New York Times:
In Expansion, New York’s Medical Marijuana Program Will Offer Home Delivery
Moving to address complaints about New York’s new medical marijuana program, the state’s Health Department is making substantial changes to expand access to the drug, including allowing home delivery, quite likely by the end of September. The program, which saw its first dispensaries open in January, has struggled to gain broad traction in the medical community and with potential patients. Advocates for the medical use of marijuana have said the program, allowed by a 2014 law signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was too restrictive, and its regulations too cumbersome to fulfill its mandate. (McKinley and Saint Louis, 8/29)
In other news —
The Washington Post:
Study: Medical Marijuana Changes How Employees Use Sick Time
"Fact #1: Legalizing marijuana is bad for the workplace." That's the stark warning from the Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace, a nonprofit that works to combat drug use among American employees. "The impact of employee marijuana use is seen in the workplace in lower productivity, increased workplace accidents and injuries, increased absenteeism, and lower morale," the institute writes. "This can and does seriously impact the bottom line." Does it really, though? (Ingraham, 8/29)