I am writing to you today as a voter in your district to urge you to support adult-use cannabis legislation. For far too long, communities of color in our state have suffered disproportionately from spreading opioid addiction. Studies show that since 2015, the number of African Americans dying from opioid overdose has doubled, and the number of fatal overdoses for Hispanic New Yorkers is twice the national average. Meanwhile, opioid use is lower in states where doctors can recommend medical cannabis to treat opioid addiction. While medical access is technically legal, it is not available to all who need it in New York With full legalization of adult-use cannabis in our state, New York can expand access to what is already proving to be an effective strategy to reduce patient reliance on prescription opioids. Along with the medical benefits that cannabis provides while being less harmful than alcohol, tobacco, or opioids, legalizing cannabis makes common sense. We cannot wait to legalize cannabis and set the foundation for this important industry. Vote “YES” on legalization measures and help our communities throughout the state. I strongly urge you to support of these measures.

Please legalize adult-use cannabis. As a long-time resident of New York, I am writing today to voice my strong support for full legalization legislation; we need to seize this opportunity to legalize adult-use cannabis for the sake of our residents’ health. While Governor Cuomo has tried to expand the reach of the state’s medical program, it is still failing the people of New York. Even the Department of Health admits that the program isn’t reaching enough patients, who are then forced to self-medicate by using marijuana from unsafe sources. A small group of 10 licensed companies control all of the legal cannabis in the state intended to serve 90,000 patients. Full legalization would increase supply and growers in New York while also ensuring that patients purchase lab-tested products at regulated dispensaries. We need full-scale reform now to provide safe cannabis for patients and keep black-market cannabis off the streets.

Please do your part to support legalizing cannabis today. A thriving cannabis industry will only benefit New York’s economy and bring local communities together. Cannabis legalization will generate valuable revenue for our schools, public health programs, and law enforcement, in addition to creating opportunities for workers and small businesses in New York. Because federal policies prohibit interstate cannabis transportation, New York would absorb all of the benefits from production, manufacturing, distribution, and sale internally. Legalization would ensure not simply profits from dispensaries, but investments starting with large-scale cultivation facilities and spanning the entire length of the supply chain to the consumer. Every day we fail to pass legalization, we hurt small business owners and people looking for entry into the job market and limit the ability of local economies to grow and contribute tax dollars to local communities. We need legalization now. I am asking you to do what is right and support legalization legislation for a healthy and thriving New York. PLEASE VOTE 'YES' S1527A!

I am writing to you as a constituent seeking your support for legal, adult-use cannabis in New York, and vote for S.1527 / A.1617. Cannabis has numerous confirmed medical benefits and serves as a non-addictive alternative to opioids that is less harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. Legalization of adult-use cannabis would expand access to the thousands of patients currently being neglected by the state’s medical program. Two studies published in the American Medical Association's peer-reviewed journal found that opioid use is lower in states where doctors are allowed to recommend medical cannabis. These same states have seen a 25 percent reduction in opioid overdose deaths and 23 percent fewer non-fatal opioid hospitalizations. There is no reason to not fight back against the painkiller epidemic. Please enact legislation that will allow cannabis to benefit the maximum number of patients here in New York. We need to legalize now.

I am writing today to ask you to fix the broken cannabis system by voting for S.1527 / A.1617. According to New York’s own Department of Health, the community is being underserved. Only 10 licensed companies serve a state with a population of over 19 million. This is simply not a realistic model to provide care to the thousands that need it. New York, with a population close to 20 million, serves fewer than 100,000 patients. In contrast, Michigan’s medical program serves more than 218,000 patients despite having about half of the residents. Under the current system, the existing dispensaries cannot possibly serve the state’s population of patients in need. By fully legalizing cannabis, the legislature would remove an arbitrary and limited number of legal cannabis retail storefronts that serves as a major obstacle for patients seeking relief. I cannot stress more the urgency and importance of providing these patients with appropriate access to legal and tested medical cannabis, which will have profoundly positive effects on their health outcomes. Please vote “YES” on legal cannabis.

As a constituent, I am writing to encourage your support of the bill . The economic benefits of a well-regulated legal marketplace are exactly what our district needs to grow its economy and provide new economic opportunities for historically disenfranchised members of our community. New Yorkers have suffered disproportionately under draconian cannabis laws for far too long. Despite the Governor’s numerous promises, legal cannabis was left out of the state budget yet again last month. Our policymakers shouldn’t continue to stall on an opportunity to pass common-sense cannabis reform that would improve our quality of life by generating millions of dollars in new business and revenue. Please put a stop to the political time-wasting and vote “Yes” on adult-use cannabis. Thank you!

As a New York resident, I am writing today as a citizen concerned with public safety. With recent reports of fentanyl-laced cannabis recovered by law enforcement officers upstate, a growing number of people are concerned about overdose deaths from laced substances. However, there is a simple solution to keeping laced cannabis off the streets; legalize it. Black market dealers don’t have to adhere to strict testing procedures – licensed dispensary operators do. When patients and customers purchase legal cannabis, they know exactly what they’re getting. S1527 would protect consumers and ensure ethical business practices. To date, there has not been a single recall on New York cannabis. Years of failed policy during the war on drugs taught us that prohibition won’t keep people from using marijuana. The best way to protect citizens from deadly fentanyl is to provide a regulated, legal marketplace for it to be bought and sold. I encourage you to do everything you can to support legalizing cannabis not tomorrow, but today, to keep the people of New York safe. Vote Yes on 1527 - A.

As a proud New Yorker, I am reaching out to ask for your support in legalizing adult-use cannabis. New York has suffered for years, perhaps worse than any other state, from disproportionate enforcement of outdated cannabis laws in this country. In New York City, African Americans are eight times more likely to be arrested for marijuana use than their white peers, despite rate of use being the same. Legalization measures could put a stop to this disturbing practice. Importantly, legislation will include an expungement system to clear the records of nonviolent offenders. Legalization would also make our streets safer by curbing the illegal marketplace, driving down crime rates, and increasing gainful employment in our neighborhoods. This is a critical step to counteract past injustices and give all New Yorkers a fair shot at reaping the benefits of this legal market. With your support we can end the failed war on drugs and bring New York into the 21st century. We need to do everything we can to ensure equality and safety in New York, and that means we need legalization today.

I am writing to you today to request your support of Senate Bill 1527. It is important to me that the state legislature seizes this opportunity to end the failed war on drugs. Every day that nonviolent offenders are prosecuted or jailed for cannabis use is a miscarriage of justice and a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars. Legalization would save millions of dollars in court costs that would otherwise be spent trying to put more people of color into our overcrowded prisons. Legalization would also boost our economy and generate much-needed revenue to improve our schools and help fix hundreds of miles of crumbling roads. In the upcoming vote, please do your part and vote to make cannabis legal. Our state can’t afford to keep enforcing immoral, outdated policies that have harmed underserved communities in New York for decades. The time for change is now. Please support legalization legislation for cannabis in New York.

I am reaching out to voice my strong support for the legalization of adult-use cannabis for the sake of public health. While medical access is technically legal, it is still not available to all who need it. Dispensaries are not able to keep up with the demand of over 90,000 registered patients in New York, which leaves many sick people without access. Additionally, the lack of delivery options is driving patients into the illegal market, since going to dispensaries is painful or burdensome due to distance. There is currently only one functioning delivery facility serving the entirety of Manhattan and its 1.6 million inhabitants. Legal cannabis will lead to legal delivery access, in addition to opening up the market to meet demand levels for individuals who benefit from medical marijuana. As a public health policy, legalizing cannabis is the right direction for New York; we need reform now. I urge you to vote in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis. Please vote YES on S.1527 / A.1617!

I am writing as a New Yorker today urging you to vote in favor of the bill "S.1527" or "A.1617" for the benefit of our state economy. Aside from all of the jobs, a legal industry would also benefit our infrastructure and public services through tax revenue. Last year, the New York State Department of Health of estimated that a regulated cannabis market would generate approximately $300 million in revenue and create over 20,000 jobs. This money could be used to improve our schools, or the thousands of bridges that are structurally deficient, or perhaps the hundreds of miles of crumbling roads. There’s no shortage of practical uses for this revenue, but we will miss out on all of these opportunities if you don’t vote “Yes” on comprehensive cannabis reform so we can begin building and investing in this promising industry as soon as possible.

I live in the district you were elected serve. In recent months, I have been increasingly frustrated by the legislature’s inability to pass practical cannabis reform that would allow legal business to expand in our state. I am concerned that policymakers don’t understand how great of a positive impact the industry would have in our state. A recent study from the Rockefeller Institute conservatively estimated that legalization would create a $1.7 billion cannabis market that could generate a total economic output of $4.1 billion in New York. This market could also create new employment opportunities for at least 21,080 New Yorkers, more than 8,000 more jobs than the current workforce of the craft brewing industry. This is too great of an economic benefit to our state to pass up. By continuing to stall on common-sense reform, we are missing out on the opportunity to influence the growing market. With Pennsylvania and New Jersey also considering legalization in the near future, every day that we wait we are losing time, money, and opportunities. Please vote in favor of adult-use cannabis legislation to ensure we legalize cannabis as soon as we can. Please do the right thing and vote "Yes" on S.1527 / A.1617. Thank you.

I am writing to you today to urge you to support legalization of cannabis and allow New York to reap the benefits of this promising emerging industry. According to a recent study from the Rockefeller Institute, a regulated legal cannabis market would employ over 20,000 people in New York. That’s more than the current workforce of the entire craft beer industry in the state. Nationwide, cannabis is providing jobs for over 100,000 Americans, a number that is expected to double by 2021. Legalizing cannabis would provide local jobs for New Yorkers and create opportunity for small business owners and entrepreneurs in our state. There is no good reason for policymakers to delay a vote on this issue. The window is closing quickly for New York to be on the cutting edge of this exciting new industry. Please do your part to put money back in the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers and vote for S.1527 / A.1617.

In recent months, I have been frustrated by the New York legislature’s inability to pass practical reform that would allow legal cannabis businesses to expand in our state. Last month, we missed the opportunity to become the eleventh state to legalize adult-use cannabis. By legislating legalization properly, you could help get the industry’s legal framework get started off on the right foot by providing opportunities for minorities, disabled veterans, and women-owned businesses. There is concrete data showing how beneficial the industry is to the other states that have already legalized. Most Americans want legal cannabis and over 60% of New Yorkers want legal cannabis – how long will it take for our policymakers to step up and do their jobs? Please help provide a robust, legal marketplace that will help the communities that have been hit the hardest by the war on drugs. Vote “YES” on S.1527 / A.1617.

I am writing to you today seeking your vote in favor legalizing adult-use cannabis in New York. Historically, our state has seen some of the most disproportionate enforcement of our out-of-date cannabis laws. In 2017, over 80% of cannabis arrests in New York City were of African and Americans and Latinos, despite equal rates of use compared to whites. This legislation can help end decades of oppression against minorities and people of color in this state. By including provisions to clear the records of minor cannabis offenders and present new business opportunities in the most historically underserved areas, this legislation will have a huge positive impact in neighborhoods most affected by the failed war on drugs. Years of unfair policy and enforcement can’t be undone overnight, but this legislation is a step in the right direction in redressing past injustices. We should not stall legislation that would bring equity, safety, and opportunity to communities in New York. Please support legalizing adult-use cannabis in the upcoming vote. With your support, we can put New York back on track and on the cutting edge of an exciting new industry.