Has marijuana changed or have we? (Commentary) Updated Apr 06, 2021; Posted Apr 01, 2021 FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2019, file photo, marijuana grows at an indoor cannabis farm in Gardena, Calif. More changes are coming to Utah's medical cannabis program bills in the state legislature, including easing patients' struggle to find doctors willing to recommend the drug.Richard Vogel | AP Photo Facebook Share Dessa Bergen-Cico, PhD., is a professor of public health and addiction studies at Syracuse University. The legalization of marijuana (cannabis) has been a long time coming in New York State. One of the main reasons for the delay has been the intentionality of the legislation to ensure that most everyone of legal age (21 and over) can have an equitable seat at the proverbial legal market table. In other words, lawmakers wanted to ensure that the legislative efforts address the disparities in the racial and socio-economic burden of the war on drugs.