Galef Asks Constituents About Medical Marijuana

OSSINING, N.Y. – A constituent survey conducted by New York State Assembly member Sandy Galef (D-Ossining) revealed strong feelings about medical marijuana, tanning beds and school district savings.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they would not be concerned that, if marijuana were legalized, it may be easier to access for those who do not have a prescription.

Galef is co-sponsor of bill A7347-B, which would legalize medical marijuana. She has said the bill would still place strong restrictions on patients' ability to acquire it. In the comments section of the survey, Galef said a constituent from Peekskill wrote, “Marijuana has proven useful for chemotherapy, nausea and glaucoma when other drugs do not work. The way I see it, the good outweighs the bad.”

Constituents also had strong feelings about school district savings accounts, with 77 percent of those surveyed saying districts should be allowed to place savings realized throughout the year into a reserve fund to guard against large spikes in taxes.

Three-quarters of respondents agreed that the legislature should ban use of tanning beds for those under 18-years-old. Currently, the law allowed 14 to 18-year-olds to use the machine with a parent's consent.

Seventy-two percent of respondents said New York should not lift a ban on mixed martial arts.

Other questions reflected a deep divide in the district. Nearly down the middle, constituents who participated in the survey were split on whether to reduce by half the number of miles public districts are required to bus private school students, on whether properties in New York should be reassessed every four years, on whether New York should go to a single-payer health care system, whether campaigns should be publicly financed and whether 16-year-olds should continue to be tried as adults in criminal proceedings.

A majority, 57 percent, said voter registration efforts should not be expanded to allow those eligible to register online.

“I will be sharing these results with my colleagues in the legislature and will continue to work with them to pass legislation, which I believe will benefit both my Assembly district and the state overall. I am grateful for all of the responses. It is extremely important to me to receive feedback from my constituents, as it aids me in making future decisions,” Galef said.

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