Report: New York State Will Loosen Marijuana Laws

AP

N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to announce executive action that would loosen marijuana laws in the state, officials tell Susanne Craig and Jesse McKinley of The New York Times.

From The Times:

Mr. Cuomo's plan will be far more restrictive than the laws in Colorado or California, where medical marijuana is available to people with conditions as mild as backaches. It will allow just 20 hospitals across the state to prescribe marijuana to patients with cancer, glaucoma or other diseases that meet standards to be set by the New York State Department of Health.

While Mr. Cuomo's measure falls well short of full legalization, it nonetheless moves New York, long one of the nation's most punitive states for those caught using or dealing drugs, a significant step closer to policies being embraced by marijuana advocates and lawmakers elsewhere.

Read the full report at The Times >

This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more.