Cuomo signs bill legalizing adult recreational marijuana use in New York City

Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday morning signed a law to legalize the use of recreational cannabis by adults in New York City and to create the second largest recreational marijuana market in the country.

With the governor’s approval of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, NY S854 (21R) / NY A1248 (21R), which authorized the Legislature on Tuesday night, New York officially joins 16 other states, including New Jersey and Massachusetts, which passed full legalization. . More than two-thirds of the 56 million people in the Northeast will live in states that have legalized recreational cannabis, increasing pressure on Washington, DC to relax federal drug restrictions.

“This is a historic day in New York – a day that rightes the wrongs of the past by ending harsh prison terms, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire State’s economy and put marginalized communities first. so those who have suffered the most be the first to reap the rewards, ”Cuomo said in a statement after quietly signing the bill.

New Yorkers aged 21 and over can now legally own and consume cannabis. Dispensaries are not expected to open in New York until at least 2022 under the new regulatory and licensing structure.

State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, the sponsors of the bill in their respective chambers, also praised the historic significance of the then bill. that he had been in the Legislative Assembly a few hours earlier.

“The last time New York State did anything of the sort was when we removed the alcohol ban: it was in 1933. Here we are in 2021 – almost 100 years of marijuana ban – and we are removing it, ”Peoples-Stokes said during remarks in the assembly Tuesday night.

Krueger said she was “very proud to have played a role” in what she called “a leading role model for what legalizing marijuana can look like.”

The passage and enactment of the bill marked a major political victory for Krueger and Peoples-Stokes, who had unsuccessfully pushed for legalization in New York for several years. It’s also a significant victory for Cuomo, who has faced questions in recent weeks over his ability to pass major legislation amid allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate workplace behavior and cover-up of deaths. in retirement homes.

Cuomo, a Democrat, dropped his campaign for legal cannabis after Covid-19 first struck New York City last March, but pledged in January to make recreational cannabis a top priority for his budget. fiscal year 2022, to be scheduled for Wednesday. Although the governor has played an important role in previous cannabis negotiations, lawmakers and advocates have sought to take advantage of his newly weakened state as the 2022 budget deadline approaches.

Several supporters of legalized marijuana have increased calls to pass the legislation proposed by Krueger and Peoples-Stokes, describing it as “the gold standard of legalization.” They argued that Cuomo’s budget proposal was insufficient, even with the February amendments on how social equity funding would be allocated and what criminal charges would be enforced or imposed for improper sales. The Senate and Assembly, meanwhile, removed marijuana legalization language from their budget proposals released earlier this month.

The marijuana regulation and taxation law, which was amended on Saturday after sponsors and Cuomo’s office reached a three-way deal on the legalization of marijuana, calls for the creation of an Office of Cannabis Management to oversee New York’s recreational, medical and agricultural cannabis markets.

It also establishes a 9% sales tax on cannabis, an additional 4% tax split between counties and municipalities, as well as another tax based on THC content – 0.5 cents per milligram for the flower. , 0.8 cents per milligram for concentrated cannabis and 3 cents per milligram. for edible products. Forty percent of excess sales revenue would be spent on reinvesting in communities disproportionately affected by state drug laws, with 40 percent on public education and 20 percent on treatment, prevention and drug addiction education.

The adult program is expected to bring in $ 350 million per year in tax revenue when fully implemented, and could create between 30,000 and 60,000 new jobs across New York State.

Cities, towns and villages would be able to refuse to have adult clinics and consumption sites in their communities.

The legislation further permits the limited domestic cultivation of three mature plants and three immature plants; includes equity programs to ensure broad opportunities for participation in the new legal sector; ends the penalties for possession of less than three ounces of cannabis; and calls for the automatic delisting of the files of people who have already been convicted of activities which are no longer criminalized. And it establishes a new range of criminal penalties for the illegal possession and sale of cannabis, and incorporates cannabis impairment into the offense of impaired driving.

Opponents have warned that the legalization measure will increase rates of drug addiction and impaired driving. They also raised concerns that New Yorkers under the age of 21 could more easily access the drug.

Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a vocal critic of the MRTA, pledged to “help cities and communities exercise local control over the marijuana industry and pass exclusion clauses.” , as well as “to hold lawmakers who support this accountable.” “

New York is only the fourth state to pass recreation legalization through the Legislature, joining Illinois, Virginia, and Vermont. Several other states, including New Mexico, Connecticut and Rhode Island, are also looking to pass adult legalization bills this year.

New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in November to legalize recreational cannabis.