A group of anti-cannabis parties has banded together to sue the State of New York including Governor Kathy Hochul, the Cannabis Control Board and the Office of Cannabis Management. The case was filed on June 20, 2023. New York passed the Marijuana Regulations and Taxation Act (MRTA) on March 31, 2021 which legalized adult-use cannabis.
The parties behind the suit include:
- Cannabis Impact Prevention Coalition – Their mission is to prevent impacts from cannabis.
- Cannabis Industry Victims Seeking Justice – This group provides advocacy services to victims of the cannabis industry
- Phil Orenstein who says he has had devastating personal experiences with cannabis
- Edwin De La Cruz – a father concerned over his son’s cannabis consumption and his son Eric
- Renee Barchitta, Philip McManus, Robert Caemmerer- members of CIVSJ
- Richard McArthur – a member of CIPC
- Ronnie Hickey who claims she has suffered from cannabis smoke in her apartment building
The main thrust of the case is that cannabis is still federally illegal and therefore the state can’t legalize it. The group also believes that sending out Mothers Day greetings sends the wrong messages with regard to protecting children’s health. They claim that some New York mothers who used cannabis allowed their children to die.
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