What New York Taught Me About Cannabis Legalisation, Poverty, and Perspective
YMCA Together CEO Ellie McNeil on her trip to New York, the realities of public drug use, and why the UK must tread carefully with cannabis decriminalisation.
I recently visited the US with my family. We were over for my younger brother’s university graduation in Ohio and decided to extend our trip. So, we split the flights and headed to New York for five days.
I’d been to New York once before, about 20 years ago. It was November, just as the city was getting into the Christmas spirit. I wanted my eight-year-old son, Harry, to have a bit of that magic and experience a big, iconic city for the first time. But this visit felt different.
I don’t know whether the city has changed or if I was seeing things through a different lens as a parent (and twenty years older). But it felt like a different place altogether. The atmosphere was heavier.
I was stunned by the levels of visible poverty, drug use, and mental health issues. There were moments I genuinely felt unsafe. That’s not something I’ve experienced walking through Liverpool, Manchester, London, or any of the UK’s big cities. But in New York, I found myself holding on tightly to Harry’s hand, worried about what might happen.
Our hotel was next door to a free health clinic, a lot of the people accessing it looked really poorly.
The lack of health care made me reflect on the value of the NHS. Yes, we have long waits in A&E. Yes, investment could be better. But we never have to think about how much a doctor’s visit will cost or whether we can afford to call an ambulance. We don’t lie awake wondering how we’ll pay to deliver a baby. That’s not the case in the US. I criticise our systems here; we need better policies and support — but I returned feeling grateful to live in England.
“What’s he doing, Mum?”
Another thing that struck me was the visibility of cannabis. I’ve always been a strong advocate for legalisation. I believe in harm reduction and ending the criminalisation of vulnerable people. But what I saw in New York challenged me.
Cannabis is legal there now both for medicinal purposes and for recreational use —and it’s everywhere. The whole city constantly smelled of cannabis. I saw a delivery driver smoke a joint between drop-offs. On the subway, someone sat openly skinning up.
That moment on the subway stuck with me. My son saw the man rolling a joint and asked me what he was doing. And in that moment, I didn’t know how much to say. I’m an open and transparent parent, but I had this internal dialogue: “Do I just go all in and tell him, or do I try and shield him from it?”
I tried to explain it in an age-appropriate way – that some things which aren’t legal in England are legal here and that the man was preparing his drugs. I compared it to someone opening a can of beer. But it stayed with me because we’re not used to seeing it.
Legalisation Needs Limits
My experience got me thinking about what legalisation, or decriminalisation, would look like in the UK. More specifically, what would it mean for the people we support at YMCA Together?
England’s drug policy is wildly outdated and, in many cases, downright wrong. The Misuse of Drugs Act prevents people from drugs in supported accommodation. Our services enforce that because it’s the law. But it makes no sense from a harm reduction point of view. Surely it’s safer for someone to use in a private, supported environment than out on the streets. Surely it’s less harmful for our communities, too.
Shame is a significant barrier to recovery. Studies show that people stay stuck in drug use because of shame and stigma. Legalisation could help remove the shame and bring people into support services sooner. That would be a positive step. But it has to be done in a robust, safe way so that it doesn’t normalise problematic drug use to younger generations or encourage active drug use in our cities.
What the UK Can Learn
Bringing cannabis into everyday life is a good thing. The Amsterdam model of café-style provision makes sense. It creates a place to use without putting it in everyone’s face. However, we also need strong support systems for people struggling with their use — and we need to offer that support without judgement, just as we aim to do with alcohol and other drugs.
None of this has put me off New York. It’s still an incredible place, and we had a fantastic time. I came home, not changed in my views, but with a new perspective. And, a lot more grateful for what we have here, even when we know it still needs work.