The landscape for legal weed in New York is most certainly evolving. Following a failed effort to legalize recreational cannabis in July, weed has now been decriminalized statewide. Unlawfully possessing cannabis will no longer be considered a crime but instead, a violation.

A $50 fine must be paid by those caught in possession of up to one ounce of the plant. Individuals caught with up to two ounces will be slapped with a $200 fine.

New York State residents have also been privileged with the opportunity to get medical cannabis delivered directly to their door, thanks to a new service provided by Vireo Health. Medical cannabis was legalized in 2014 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act into effect

New York’s cannabis decriminalization law gives convicts a second chance

Based on the details of New York’s cannabis decriminalization law, individuals with low-level convictions could have their records expunged. 

“Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by laws governing [cannabis] for far too long and today we are ending this injustice once and for all,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.

Cannabis activists aren’t exactly pleased with the prospect, however. Deputy Director for the Drug Policy Alliance, Melissa Moore, believes that New York’s cannabis decriminalization bill will not stop law enforcement officers from targeting people of color who live in low-income communities.

“They can continue to face parole and probation violations for [cannabis], they can keep being separated from their children,” Moore said, adding that, “people can still continue to face immigration consequences from [cannabis] arrests, which is a huge concern in this moment.”

On the plus side, New York’s Division of Criminal Justice Services claims that Cuomo’s decriminalization bill will rid some 24,000 people of low-level cannabis convictions. 

Vireo Health is offering medical cannabis throughout New York City 

Something that medical cannabis patients are raving about in New York is the fact that they can get bud dropped to their house. Back in April of 2017, Vireo Health launched its cannabis delivery service for patients residing throughout the New York City metro area, Nassau County and Westchester County. 

Vireo’s founder and CEO, Kyle Kingsley, M.D., says he is “thrilled” about the fact that his company is taking steps towards providing medical cannabis patients in New York with the same standard of service offered by the likes of companies such as Amazon, GrubHub, Seamless and Uber. 

“Our same-day home delivery service is designed to match the convenience that New Yorkers have become accustomed to in the era of Amazon, Uber, and Seamless,” said Kingsley. “The growing popularity of our home delivery service has allowed us to achieve the economies of scale necessary to offer same-day delivery throughout the Greater New York City area.” 

His company guarantees free same-day delivery for patients who place an order no later than 12:00 p.m. EDT. Payment can be made via the CanPay application, which is available for download on Android and iPhone devices.

You can get more information about medical cannabis delivery services in New York by visiting Vireo Health’s official website at www.vireohealth.com/ny/delivery.