Anti-Cannabis Groups Sue New York Over Legalization

Anti-cannabis groups this week filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court seeking to overturn the state’s cannabis legalization law, the Times-Union reports. The lawsuit was filed by the Cannabis Impact Prevention Coalition, the Cannabis Industry Victims Seeking Justice, and eight individuals associated with the groups. 

“What the tobacco companies have done the marijuana companies are doing now. It is only a matter of time before there are RICO lawsuits against marijuana stores and growing operations in New York.” — Lawsuit excerpt via the Times-Union 

The lawsuit cites federal law, which still outlaws cannabis, and argues that New York lawmakers bypassed Congress when it passed its cannabis legalization law in 2021. The groups also contend that cannabis is harmful and its claims about its medical benefits are unfounded.  

“False advertising may mislead vulnerable patients and the public. ‘Medical’ use may inadvertently result in addiction, increased risk of psychosis, mental or psychosocial impairment, lung damage when smoked, and complications for unborn children when used during pregnancy,” the lawsuit states. “The presence of ‘medical marijuana’ dispensaries may increase access to recreational marijuana for minors.” 

The lawsuit also contends that claims about the medical benefits of THC and CBD have not been subjected to studies that satisfy the federal Food and Drug Administration’s standards for determining the efficacy of the products and that the FDA has never approved a cannabis product even as a dietary supplement.  

David G. Evans, a New Jersey attorney and organizer of the group Cannabis Industry Victims Seeking Justice, told the Times-Union that this is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S.