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A bipartisan agreement on legislation that would let doctors prescribe marijuana to ease the pain and other medical symptoms of very sick patients could be reached before the year is out, state lawmakers said Wednesday.
A bill initially introduced in 1997 by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, that would legalize pot for medical use was overwhelmingly passed Tuesday by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and is now in the Rules Committee -- the last stop before a full house vote.
For the first time, the measure now also has a sponsor in the Republican Senate majority. State Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Brewster, said his introduction of a medical marijuana bill is "imminent" and the legislation has a good shot at being identical to the version pending in the Assembly.
Aides to Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, said he is sympathetic to the medical marijuana issue and is interested in seeing something done on it this session.
Aides to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said he is waiting to see what the Senate does on this topic before he decides whether to let the Assembly bill to the floor for a vote.
On Wednesday, Gottfried said he believes his bill would be approved by the Assembly if it is allowed out of the Rules Committee. The measure so far has 49 assembly sponsors, 10 of whom are Republicans.
The biggest remaining roadblock the state Legislature appears to face on this issue is Republican Gov. George Pataki.
Source: Times Union (Albany, NY)
Author: Elizabeth Benjamin, Capitol Bureau
Published: Thursday, June 17, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Capital Newspapers
Contact: tuletters@timesunion.com
Website: Home
A bill initially introduced in 1997 by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, that would legalize pot for medical use was overwhelmingly passed Tuesday by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and is now in the Rules Committee -- the last stop before a full house vote.
For the first time, the measure now also has a sponsor in the Republican Senate majority. State Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Brewster, said his introduction of a medical marijuana bill is "imminent" and the legislation has a good shot at being identical to the version pending in the Assembly.
Aides to Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, said he is sympathetic to the medical marijuana issue and is interested in seeing something done on it this session.
Aides to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said he is waiting to see what the Senate does on this topic before he decides whether to let the Assembly bill to the floor for a vote.
On Wednesday, Gottfried said he believes his bill would be approved by the Assembly if it is allowed out of the Rules Committee. The measure so far has 49 assembly sponsors, 10 of whom are Republicans.
The biggest remaining roadblock the state Legislature appears to face on this issue is Republican Gov. George Pataki.
Source: Times Union (Albany, NY)
Author: Elizabeth Benjamin, Capitol Bureau
Published: Thursday, June 17, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Capital Newspapers
Contact: tuletters@timesunion.com
Website: Home
