Levine Demands to Know Why CBD Was Banned in New York
The Health Department’s abrupt decision to ban CBD took Manhattan lawmakers by surprise – and City Councilman Mark Levine (D-Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville) is looking for answers.
CBD, a cannabis oil often used in food and beverages, was banned by the Health Department in early February, on the grounds that it circumvents New York laws that ban restaurants from using additives in their menu items.
This explanation failed to satisfy Levine, however, as he and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) penned a strongly worded letter to Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot about the decision.
“We are deeply alarmed by the opaque nature of the process by which the Department came to this seemingly abrupt policy shift,” reads the letter.
Linda Rosenthal Writes Bill to Provide Medication-Assisted Treatment for Prisons
Last week, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Upper West Side) submitted a bill to the Assembly that would require the state of New York to provide medication-assisted treatment to inmates dealing with addiction.
Rosenthal appeared as a guest on WCNY’s “The Capital Pressroom” to discuss the importance of her legislation. She claimed that a significant of New York’s prison population suffers from some form of addiction or substance abuse disorder, making it all the more important that they get the help they need while incarcerated.
“While there are quite a few [medication-assisted treatment] programs operating on the county level… they’re not funded adequately in the state budget, and that’s something we’re fighting for – to enable all counties to apply this lifesaving approach to people who are incarcerated,” said Rosenthal.
Brewer Demands ICE to Free Baba Sillah
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (D) appeared at a rally earlier this week calling for the release of Baba Sillah, a Gambian immigrant currently being detained by the ICE.
On Jan. 31, Sillah was taken into custody after trying to check in with immigration officials in the hopes that he could secure permanent residence. Since that day, Sillah has been detained in the Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearney, New Jersey, leaving behind a wife and five children.
Brewer was accompanied at the rally by Sillah’s immediate family, along with representatives from 32BJ SEIU, the property services union of which Sillah is a member.
“Baba Sillah is a New Yorker, just like the rest of us,” said Brewer. “He deserves to stay with his family and I stand with 32BJ SEIU and a host of other elected officials in demanding that ICE release him.”
