Governor Cuomo announces proposal to legalize and create a fair cannabis use program for adults under the 2021 State of the State

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a proposal to legalize and create a comprehensive system for the supervision and regulation of cannabis in New York City as part of the State of the State 2021. According to the Governor’s proposal , a new Cannabis Management Office would be created to oversee the new adult use program, as well as the state’s existing medical hemp and cannabinoid programs. In addition, a fair structure for the adult market will be created by providing licensing opportunities and assistance to entrepreneurs from communities of color who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs. When fully implemented, legalization is expected to generate more than $ 300 million in tax revenue.

“Despite the many challenges New York has faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also created a number of opportunities to right long-standing wrongs and to rebuild New York better than ever,” Governor Cuomo said. “Not only will legalizing and regulating the adult cannabis market provide the opportunity to generate much-needed income, but it will also allow us to directly support the individuals and communities who have been most affected by decades of cannabis bans. cannabis.”

The governor’s proposal builds on years of work to understand and decriminalize cannabis for adult use. In 2018, the Department of Health, under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, conducted a multi-agency study which concluded that the positive effects of legalizing cannabis for adult use far outweighed the disadvantages. He also found that decades of cannabis bans have failed to meet public health and safety goals and have led to unfair arrests and convictions, especially in communities of color.

In 2019, Governor Cuomo signed a law to decriminalize the penalties for illegal possession of marijuana. The law has also put in place a process to clear records of certain marijuana convictions. Later that year, the governor led a multi-state summit to discuss pathways towards legalizing adult cannabis that would ensure public health and safety and coordinate programs at the regional level to minimize cross-border movement of the products. cannabis.

Building on this important work, the proposal reflects national standards and emerging best practices to promote responsible use, restricting the sale of cannabis products to adults 21 years of age and older, and establishing quality and safety controls. rigorous, including strict regulation of packaging, labeling, advertising and testing of all cannabis products. Cannabis regulation also offers the opportunity to invest in research and direct resources to the communities that have been most affected by the cannabis ban.