Start Spreading the News: New York State Says Yes to Legal Weed
Note
Update March 31
The legalization bill passed both houses of the legislature at about 10:30 p.m. last night. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it into law this morning.
Possession of up to three ounces of cannabis flower or 24 grams of concentrates is now legal in New York.
After clearing several Senate and Assembly committee votes with lightning speed, both chambers of the New York State legislature are expected to pass a bill legalizing recreational cannabis sometime today or tomorrow. Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign the bill into law.
New York will become the second-largest state (after California) with legal weed, and the 17th overall. Virginia’s legislature passed a legalization bill in early February. Thirty-eight states have some kind of medical cannabis program.
Gov. Cuomo, who initially insisted the cannabis legislation be included in the budget process—which he has traditionally ruled with an iron fist—has agreed to support the current bill, which his office negotiated with the legislature. Cuomo’s position in the state has been severely weakened in recent weeks following two major scandals.
Last year, Cuomo pushed through a ban on non-tobacco flavored vaping products during an all-night legislative budget vote. Legislators debated various parts of the budget by video conference in the wee hours of the morning, but the flavor ban had no public discussion.
The new law will create licensed retailers, which are expected to begin doing business sometime in 2022 or 2023, according to Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes. However, penalties for public possession of up to three ounces of cannabis flower (or 24 grams of concentrates) would end immediately. Residents would also be able to store up to five pounds of flower in their homes right away.
Other components of the law, according to Marijuana Moment, are expected to include:
Cannabis opponents pulled out all the stops leading up to today's hearings, raising fears about impaired driving and use by kids. Articles about new studies showing the dangers of adolescent pot use appeared, and were immediately promoted by anti-weed campaigners. Of course, teenagers smoke marijuana already, and legalizing and regulating the market won't make it more available to minors.
Legal cannabis is a popular issue for New York residents; nearly 60 percent support a bill allowing recreational pot. According to the New York Times, Cuomo’s sudden support of the legislature’s legalization bill is partly an attempt by the governor to latch onto the coattails of a good-news story and divert attention away from his nursing home and sexual harassment scandals.
Cuomo made major concessions on the bill, including allowing 40 percent of cannabis tax revenues to go to the state’s Community Grants Reinvestment Fund, which will issue grants to community-based organizations and local governments to reinvest in areas that have been disproportionately affected by past drug policies. Cuomo’s original proposal allowed him to control the tax revenues.
Jim McDonald
Vaping for: 13 years
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Favorite flavors: RY4-style tobaccos, fruits
Expertise in: Political and legal challenges, tobacco control haters, moral panics
Jim McDonald
Smokers created vaping without help from the tobacco industry or anti-smoking crusaders, and I believe vapers have the right to continue innovating to help themselves. My goal is to provide clear, honest information about the challenges vaping faces from lawmakers, regulators, and brokers of disinformation. I’m a member of the CASAA board, but my opinions aren’t necessarily CASAA’s, and vice versa. You can find me on Twitter @whycherrywhy
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