Cuomo Pushes for New York Cannabis Legalization

In his State of the State address yesterday, New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, proposed legalizing adult-use (recreational) marijuana in the state. A post on Benzinga quotes the governor as saying, “For decades, communities of color were disproportionately affected by the unequal enforcement of marijuana laws. Let’s legalize adult use of marijuana.”

Last year, Cuomo tasked the New York Department of Health with studying the potential effects of legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis. The results of the study indicated that the effects of a regulated cannabis program would be more positive than negative.

Following the results of the study, Cuomo presented the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act to the New York legislature, but it did not pass. The article states that an adult-use program in New York could generate $300 million a year in tax revenue.