Res. No. 296
Title
Resolution calling on the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to add unlawful possession of marijuana and criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth and fifth degrees to its list of "overlooked offenses," and stop considering these offenses as grounds for termination of tenancy
Body
By Council Members Williams, Ampry-Samuel and Reynoso
Whereas, Scientific and medical studies have shown that marijuana is less harmful than legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco; and
Whereas, A 2015 study published in Scientific Reports found that marijuana is 114 times less deadly than alcohol; and
Whereas, That study also found that marijuana presented the lowest mortality risk of the drugs it examined, which also included tobacco, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and methamphetamines; and
Whereas, Marijuana has a well-documented history of health benefits; and
Whereas, In January of 2017, the United States National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine released a report that analyzed more than 10,000 studies and found strong evidence that marijuana lessened chronic pain in adults as well as various side effects of multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy; and
Whereas, Moreover, experimentation with cannabis has become common in the United States; and
Whereas, A Marist poll released in January found that 52 percent of American adults have tried marijuana and that 56 percent believed the drug to be "socially acceptable;" and
Whereas, Even though cannabis poses no unique harms, offers medical benefits, and has been used by millions, prospective residents of public housing in New York City can face up to three years of ineligibility if they are convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession, under federal law and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations; and
Whereas, These directives also burden the relatives of those who have been convicted, as NYCHA can deny admission to family members of individuals convicted of Class A or B ...
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