Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo signed the bill that legalizes recreational marijuana for adults. Though expected and though there are already a number of states who have already put policies in place, the country views New York’s action and its plans to begin retail sales in 2022 as a game-changer in the world of legalized cannabis.
With the new law, a person aged 21 and over can legally hold up to three ounces of weed. Part of the plan includes individuals growing personal use plants on their property. It could be another year before the state reviews planned regulations for retail sales and make them a reality.
Gov. Cuomo approved the bill on Wednesday, March 31. This almost immediately after the bill’s approval by the Senate and the Assembly the night before.
The three-term governor began advocating for legalized recreational marijuana in 2018. But politics regarding the structure of a legal market and how to spend any generated tax revenue held up legislation. Bipartisan negotiation states, under the law, 40 percent of the cannabis tax revenue goes to minority communities with a disproportionate number of cannabis-related arrests. This is a common agreement in states where legalized marijuana exists.
This was the state’s third time at bat with the bill. Previous attempts got stalled because nonwhite Democratic lawmakers fought for earmarked funds going to BIPOC communities mistreated under the guise of the war on drugs. But the governor wanted greater control of where the funds went.
Shortly after the signing, the governor made a statement. “This is a historic day in New York—one that rights the wrongs of the past by putting an end to harsh prison sentences, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire State’s economy, and prioritizes marginalized communities so those that have suffered the most will be the first to reap the benefits.”
The National Conference of State Legislatures records New York as the 15th state to open up the doors on recreational marijuana. That positions the state as one of the largest legal cannabis markets in the country. It also becomes the rare state where legalized weed is directly linked to racial and economic equity.
The historic signing also expunges the convictions of state residents with marijuana offenses linked to what is now no longer considered criminal acts. The new bill is also set up to potentially allow those with past convictions to participate in the legal cannabis market.
According to Assembly Democratic majority leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, “Unlike any other state in America, this legislation is intentional about equity,” Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, the Democratic majority leader in the Assembly who sponsored the bill, said on the floor of the lower chamber. “Equity is not a second thought, it’s the first one, and it needs to be, because the people who paid the price for this war on drugs have lost so much.”
Some parts of the bill — including the right to hold three ounces for recreational purposes — go into effect immediately.
