Tagged: medical marijuana

State budget negotiations are continuing in Albany this week in the run-up to the self-imposed March 21st deadline set by state legislators and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

New York Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, Democrat of Manhattan’s 75th district, spoke with WAMC's Patrick Donges for an update on budget negotiations and the prospects for medical marijuana in the Empire State, a cause he has long championed.

The clock is ticking for health officials in Massachusetts to write regulations for medical marijuana. More than 50 people spoke at a public hearing in Holyoke on Wednesday.

People with diseases and disabilities spoke passionately about the use of medical marijuana and called for rules addressing the proper type, dosage and availability of the medicine.  Charles Papsadori has multiple sclerosis and says medical marijuana relieves the muscle spasms in his legs, but does not leave him groggy the way painkillers do.

Pittsfield Mayor Dan Bianchi and his administration have developed a set of guidelines related to the permitting of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

Currently, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working to meet a May 1st deadline to finalize medical marijuana regulations in the state. Mayor Bianchi said he’d like to see the City of Pittsfield begin working on their own framework in the meantime.

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts public health officials are set to begin a series of "listening sessions" to get input from the public as they develop regulations for medical marijuana. 

The first session will be held Wednesday in Worcester, followed by another session Thursday in Boston and a third session Feb. 27 in Holyoke.