Fact-checking claims about New York’s marijuana laws – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

It seems wherever you go, it is becoming hard to avoid the smell of marijuana, according to one state lawmaker. 

State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, has introduced legislation to prohibit marijuana use in public unless a municipality allows it, a measure he says would make New York more like other states that have legalized recreational adult-use cannabis. 

“We do not allow people to walk down the street chugging a bottle of vodka and the intoxication that results,” Borrello said. “We need the same type of restraints on marijuana.” 

During a recent interview on WBEN-AM in Buffalo, Borrello made several claims about New York’s marijuana law and how it compares with those in other states.

We fact-checked four of these claims, and here’s what we found: 

“Out of the 20 states that have legalized recreational marijuana,” New York “is one of only three that has not banned public consumption.”

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana for adults age 21 and older, and the overwhelming majority of them have explicitly banned public consumption.

So, Borrello is accurate on this claim. Four states, including New York, have not banned public consumption. Although there are some public places in New York where it is illegal to consume marijuana, the state’s law does not have a blanket ban on public consumption like those in many other states. 

Other states without blanket bans: Minnesota, where legalization took effect…