Efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use in New York are gaining steam, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo predicts a bill will pass this year. But don’t expect to see pot shops opening up from Brooklyn to Buffalo anytime soon.
While there’s broad agreement on the idea of legalization, there’s no consensus on a long list of details that must be figured out first.
Taxes and regulations must be approved. Rules for licensing retailers must be written. A new government entity may have to be created. Local governments will have to be brought in. Even after a bill passes, it could take a year or more for any pot shops to open, based on what’s happened in other states and New York’s own experience with medical marijuana.
While reaching a compromise will prove difficult, lawmakers in New York say they have the advantages of seeing what’s worked and what hasn’t in other states that have eliminated the ban. That growing list includes Washington, Colorado, California and now neighboring Massachusetts.