New York’s state governor has sponsored an bold new invoice looking for to decriminalize the possession of medicine within the state, marking a serious progressive shift in coverage for a state suffering from illicit hashish shops.
A brand new legislative proposal, New York Senate Invoice S3600, launched by Senator Rivera, goals to decriminalize the possession of managed substances and set up a job pressure to reform state legal guidelines on substance use.
The invoice, at the moment lively within the 2025-2026 legislative session, seeks to remove each prison and civil penalties for private possession, shifting the state’s drug coverage from a punitive method to a public health-focused mannequin.
If handed, prior convictions for drug possession can be expunged, eradicating boundaries to employment, housing, and different social companies for these beforehand impacted by drug legal guidelines.
The laws additionally proposes the creation of a Drug Decriminalization Activity Pressure, which can examine finest practices and suggest additional authorized and coverage reforms to handle racial disparities in drug legislation enforcement, improve hurt discount methods, and enhance entry to therapy and restoration companies.
The invoice highlights the disproportionate impression of drug legal guidelines on Black and Latinx communities and goals to prioritize evidence-based, non-carceral interventions.
Below the proposed legislation, illegal possession of managed substances would not carry misdemeanor fees however as a substitute lead to a $50 effective or a needs-based screening to attach people with well being and social companies.
The duty pressure, comprised of public well being specialists, authorized professionals, and group representatives, can be required to submit reform suggestions inside a yr.
New York wouldn’t be the primary state to pursue such measures. Oregon grew to become the primary state to decriminalize the non-public possession of all medication in 2020 by Measure 110, which voters authorized in a landmark choice.
The legislation, which took impact in 2021, reclassified private possession of small quantities of medicine like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine from a prison offense to a civil violation, punishable by a small effective or a well being screening.
Nonetheless, Oregon’s decriminalization effort confronted implementation challenges, together with sluggish funding distribution for therapy packages and a rising fentanyl disaster.
The coverage confronted bipartisan criticism for perceived failures in curbing public drug use, resulting in its repeal in favor of a misdemeanor-based mannequin with voluntary diversion packages.
