Send him a tweet or tell him what you think in the comments.
Cilmi, of Bay Shore, won a third term in 2013. Cilmi serves on the boards of the East Islip Soccer Club and the Catholic Youth Organization at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in East Islip. Previously the owner of CTL Printing & Media in Islip, Cilmi has a bachelor's degree in business administration from New York Institute of Technology.
Unfortunately Newsday has once again offered three simple answer choices, yes, no or no comment, to a very complex issue. Restricting answers to those three choices may lead to misleading results. Answering yes or no to questions one and/or two would present an inaccurate representation of my view on the subject. I am therefore forced to answer No Comment. Ironically however, I do have a comment.
There are certain chemicals found in marijuana which have proven to be medically useful and there are others that are quite harmful. While I do not support the use of marijuana cigarettes under any circumstances, I would support the use of certain extracted chemicals in oil or pill form upon approval of the FDA, thus making them legal nationwide. While certainly not perfect, the FDA offers us the best vehicle to properly assess the safety and efficacy of any drug. I do not believe it's wise to promulgate drug policy on a state by state basis.
I would argue there is an important distinction (literal and perceived), particularly in an age of increased substance abuse, between the use of marijuana per se, and the use of certain chemicals found in cannibis.
Use of such drugs should be authorized by a physician under limited medical conditions as authorized by the FDA. Further, if such prescription is deemed appropriate for a child or teen by a physician, then it should be permitted only with parental consent. To that extent, if the FDA approved of such a drug then its availability should be governed accordingly, and in that case, limiting that availability to a small number of hospitals would not be appropriate. If however, New York State, without consent of the FDA, chose to legalize marijuana under a broadly defined scope of conditions and in a multitude of forms including cigarettes, then in as much as I believe that would be irresponsible, limiting distribution to the greatest extent possible would be advised.
It has been my experience that the complex issues of the day are not black and white. Viewing them as such suggests a closed-mindedness that is counterproductive and leads to unnecessary polarization. It is my hope that in future surveys, Newsday provides answer options to these types of important questions which allow elected officials more flexibility in answering and therefore give readers a more transparent window into our views.
What do you think?