Governor Andrew Cuomo has said the timing could be right to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in New York.
His comments came after voters on election day in New Jersey and three other states passed laws to do so, while in Oregon, possession of small amounts of hard drugs has been decriminalized.
Criminal justice reform groups support that idea, as does the Senior Director of Addiction Services for the University of Rochester Medical Center, Patrick Seche.
``People with a substance use disorder should not be treated as criminals, should not be met with a criminal justice approach," he said. ``They should be met with a public health approach. You know, we've learned that through the opioid crisis."
Seche says it's important to make sure there is access to treatment and recovery services, and as many resources as possible are going into prevention efforts.
He says there are dangers inherent with legalizing recreational drug use, especially for young people, and decisions like that are usually driven by economics, as opposed to the risk to public health.