For the third straight year, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in New York. At a press briefing on Wednesday, the first day of the legislative session, the governor sounded an optimistic, if strikingly familiar, note on the prospects of legalization.
“This is a year where we do need the funding, a lot of New Yorkers are struggling,” Cuomo said. “I think this year will give us the momentum to get it over the goal line.”
The governor’s proposal would create an Office of Cannabis Management, as part of a “comprehensive system to oversee and regulate” adult-use marijuana. Once up and running, the program is estimated to bring in $300 million in annual revenue to the state’s badly depleted coffers.
The announcement comes almost exactly one year after the governor vowed that legalization would be a priority for the 2020 legislative session. “This year, let’s work with our neighbors in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to coordinate a safe and fair system,” Cuomo said at the time.
In a November ballot referendum, New Jersey voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana. To date, at least fifteen states — including South Dakota and Montana — have green lit recreational cannabis.
But despite Democrats holding a majority in the New York Senate, the legalization effort was dropped from the state budget last…
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For the third straight year, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in New York. At a press briefing on Wednesday, the first day of the legislative session, the governor sounded an optimistic, if strikingly familiar, note on the prospects of legalization.
“This is a year where we do need the funding, a lot of New Yorkers are struggling,” Cuomo said. “I think this year will give us the momentum to get it over the goal line.”
The governor’s proposal would create an Office of Cannabis Management, as part of a “comprehensive system to oversee and regulate” adult-use marijuana. Once up and running, the program is estimated to bring in $300 million in annual revenue to the state’s badly depleted coffers.
The announcement comes almost exactly one year after the governor vowed that legalization would be a priority for the 2020 legislative session. “This year, let’s work with our neighbors in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to coordinate a safe and fair system,” Cuomo said at the time.
In a November ballot referendum, New Jersey voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana. To date, at least fifteen states — including South Dakota and Montana — have green lit recreational cannabis.
But despite Democrats holding a majority in the New York Senate, the legalization effort was dropped from the state budget last…
