Keshia Clukey
Bloomberg News
Marijuana convictions would be erased with the stroke of the New York governor’s pen under a pot legalization bill ready for a vote this week in the state Legislature.
The measure, details of which were released late Saturday, calls for the automatic expungement of records for people with previous convictions for activities that would no longer be criminalized when marijuana is legalized for use by adults 21 and older.
“For generations, too many New Yorkers have been unfairly penalized for the use and sale of adult-use cannabis, arbitrarily arrested and jailed with harsh mandatory minimum sentences,” Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. “After years of tireless advocacy and extraordinarily hard work, that time is coming to an end in New York State.”
Legislative leaders, who negotiated the proposal with Cuomo, said they’ll act on the measure this week.
The expansive bill would allow dispensaries to open as soon as next year, and includes special cannabis taxes, permission for home growers to cultivate their own marijuana, and as well as limits on the number of licenses that can go to large corporations.
TAX REVENUE
The deal includes a 13% sales tax, with the money raised divided between the state (9%) and localities (4%), according to the text of the proposal.
Distributors additionally would collect an excise tax of as much as 3 cents per milligram of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, with a sliding scale based…
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Keshia Clukey
Bloomberg News
Marijuana convictions would be erased with the stroke of the New York governor’s pen under a pot legalization bill ready for a vote this week in the state Legislature.
The measure, details of which were released late Saturday, calls for the automatic expungement of records for people with previous convictions for activities that would no longer be criminalized when marijuana is legalized for use by adults 21 and older.
“For generations, too many New Yorkers have been unfairly penalized for the use and sale of adult-use cannabis, arbitrarily arrested and jailed with harsh mandatory minimum sentences,” Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. “After years of tireless advocacy and extraordinarily hard work, that time is coming to an end in New York State.”
Legislative leaders, who negotiated the proposal with Cuomo, said they’ll act on the measure this week.
The expansive bill would allow dispensaries to open as soon as next year, and includes special cannabis taxes, permission for home growers to cultivate their own marijuana, and as well as limits on the number of licenses that can go to large corporations.
TAX REVENUE
The deal includes a 13% sales tax, with the money raised divided between the state (9%) and localities (4%), according to the text of the proposal.
Distributors additionally would collect an excise tax of as much as 3 cents per milligram of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, with a sliding scale based…
