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NY Democrats Reportedly Reach Deal On Marijuana Legalization
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 25, 2021
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 25, 2021
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New York state is poised to pass legislation as early as next week that would legalize marijuana under a plan largely written by progressive state legislators.
The law would allow New Yorkers 21 and older to consume cannabis, grow their own plants, and would divert a significant portion of revenue towards a social equity fund.
According to reports in The Daily News, the AP, and the New York Times, the proposal closely resembles the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act [MRTA], which has stalled in Albany for years, as Governor Andrew Cuomo has insisted that the legislature pass his own vision for legalization.
Two sources familiar with the negotiations confirmed the new deal to Gothamist. Revenue from a legalized cannabis industry could net the state as much as $350 million in taxes during the first year, according to a state analysis.
In January, Governor Andrew Cuomo again suggested that marijuana legalization get passed as part of budget negotiations, a process over which he wields tremendous power. But lawmakers and criminal justice advocates criticized his proposal for capping the amount of money for social equity programs, tightly restricting who could obtain a license to sell cannabis, and leaving the administration of the program to the executive branch.
Since then, Cuomo has been battered by a series of scandals, including his handling of COVID-19 nursing home deaths and numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, and the legislature has sought to capitalize on his weakened state.
Under the new legislation, which is still being written and will be passed as a standalone bill instead of being folded into the state budget package, a new cannabis regulatory board will be created to run the legalization scheme; 40% of cannabis profits will go towards social equity grants (the MRTA initially had that amount at 50%), while another 40% will go towards the state lottery education fund, and 20% will go towards education and drug treatment.
The newly created Office of Cannabis Management, whose representatives will be appointed by the governor and the legislature, will oversee licensing for dispensaries, growers, wholesalers, and "consumption sites," with the aim of issuing half those licenses to people who have been negatively impacted by prohibition. New Yorkers will be able to grow up to six plants each, according to the new rules.
Among the topics that are still being negotiated: how marijuana will be treated under existing DUI laws. The overall deal has yet to be finalized, but legislative leaders insist they are "close."
Governor Cuomo's office has not responded to our request for comment.
A Siena College poll released last week showed that around 60% of New Yorkers supported legalizing marijuana; New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts have all legalized weed, and New York would become the 15th state to do so. The legal market in New York is expected to generate billions of dollars.
“For me this is a lot more than about raising revenue," Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who has co-sponsored the MRTA for years, told the Times. "It’s about investing in the lives of the people that have been damaged.”
With additional reporting from Karen DeWitt in Albany.
Tagged
cannabis
Albany
marijuana legalization
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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