Assembly BillIntroduced
A 7720: Makes the possession of certain amounts of a controlled substance a violation and no longer a class A misdemeanor.
What A 7720 does, verified January 28, 2026
The bill proposes to amend the existing law regarding controlled substance possession. A person is guilty of unlawful possession when they knowingly possess a controlled substance, except for certain exceptions. These exceptions include possessing a residual amount of a controlled substance on a hypodermic syringe or needle, or possessing a controlled substance while seeking immediate health care due to a medical emergency. The new law would classify this offense as a class A misdemeanor. The changes would take effect 90 days after the bill becomes law.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to codes (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 7720
- What is the current status of A 7720?
- As of January 28, 2026, A 7720 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to codes".
- Did A 7720 pass?
- Not yet. A 7720 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 7720, and where is it now?
- A 7720 was authored by Asm. Clyde Vanel with 1 coauthor. Its committee of record is Assembly Codes.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Apr. 08, 2025 | referred to codes |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, April 8, 2025 · 360 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7720 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY April 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. VANEL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to making the possession of certain amounts of a controlled substance a violation The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 220.03 of the penal law, as amended by section 4 of 2 part I of chapter 57 of the laws of 2015, the opening paragraph as 3 amended by chapter 433 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as 4 follows: 5 § 220.03 [Criminal] Unlawful possession of a controlled substance [in6the seventh degree]. 7 A person is guilty of [criminal] unlawful possession of a controlled 8 substance [in the seventh degree] when [he or she] such person knowingly 9 and unlawfully possesses a controlled substance; provided, however, that 10 it shall not be a violation of this section when a person possesses a 11 residual amount of a controlled substance and that residual amount is in 12 or on a hypodermic syringe or hypodermic needle; nor shall it be a 13 violation of this section when a person's unlawful possession of a 14 controlled substance is discovered as a result of seeking immediate 15 health care as defined in paragraph (b) of subdivision three of section 16 220.78 of this article, for either another person or [him or herself] 17 for such principal person because such person is experiencing a drug or 18 alcohol overdose or other life threatening medical emergency as defined 19 in paragraph (a) of subdivision three of section 220.78 of this article. 20 [Criminal] Unlawful possession of a controlled substance [in the21seventh degree] is a [class A misdemeanor] violation. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 23 have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD11425-01-5
Text of A 7720 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions