New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) indicated on Thursday that the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak could interfere with plans he had to tour legal marijuana states and learn from their experiences as his own states moves ahead on reform.
During a press conference on the status of combating the spread of the virus, Cuomo was asked whether the situation meant negotiations on the state budget—though which he hopes to enact legalization— would be impacted and whether he still intends to embark on the cannabis learning tour, as he announced last month.
The governor didn’t directly respond to the question, but he made clear that the coronavirus is the administration’s top priority at the moment, and the crisis is likely to last much longer than other emergencies the state has had to manage.
“I hope that we can get that done on time, but this is a priority,” Cuomo said. “There’s no doubt about that. And only I can do this.”