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New York – Allowed Marijuana Usage and Limitations

Although marijuana has been decriminalized in the state of New York, you’re still not allowed to use it for recreational purposes, so if you’re planning to get your hands on it the legal way, the only way to do so is turn to a state-approved dispensary if you’re a medical marijuana card holder. Even in these cases, though, you can only obtain certain type of marijuana products, which – unfortunately – excludes smokable and edible ones (only certain oils and tinctures are allowed).

Luckily, things are moving in the right direction, and if everything goes well, recreational marijuana will become legal for anyone who’s over 21 years of age (with possession limited to 2 ounces per person and cultivation up to 6 plants).

As for right now, tourists are advised to practice maximum discretion at all times, as smoking marijuana in public is strongly discouraged. In practice, this remains the only way, since only the residents of New York are eligible to obtain a medical marijuana card, and even this is not possible for those who haven’t been diagnosed with a rather serious illness like HIV/AIDS, cancer, severe chronic pain, etc.

Once you do have it, you’re entitled to legally obtain marijuana from one of the state’s official dispensaries. Again, it needs to be emphasized that your choice of products is limited to tinctures and oils, which can be vaporized, inhaled, or consumed by ingestion in capsules. How much you’re going to end up paying depends on the product’s quality, potency, and – ultimately – the provider. Be advised that even as a medical marijuana card holder, you’re still not allowed to cultivate it at home.

According to the law that’s in effect in New York, you can only consume weed in the privacy of your own home, and you’re not allowed to take it over the border. If you’re ever caught possessing a smaller amount of it (less than 25 grams), it’s not the end of the world, but such an act is punishable by a fine of $100 for first-time offenders (the fine gets doubled if they catch you the second time).

If there’s any more than 25 grams on you, 3 months of prison time can follow, and a fine up to $500. Getting caught carrying anything between 2 and 8 ounces will result in spending 1 year in prison and having to pay $1,000 in fines. On the extreme end of the scale, the authorities catching you with more than 10 pounds of weed is nothing to play around with, since it can very well get you 15 years of prison time, right along with a  $15,000 fine slapped on top of it.

Finally, if you’re thinking about driving under the influence of marijuana in New York, don’t. While you may have a little bit of alcohol in your blood without suffering any consequences for it, even the tiniest amount of marijuana in your system will earn you the highest penalty. In such cases, you can expect to shell out up to $1,000, spend a year in jail, or both (and this is for first-time offenders only). Any subsequent offenses, and the penalties will be adjusted accordingly.