New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) included marijuana legalization in his budget proposal on Tuesday, setting the stage for another reform push in the legislature as the 2020 session gets underway. The move comes as a new poll shows that voter support for ending cannabis prohibition is at its highest level ever in the state.
At this time in 2019, hopes were high in New York and New Jersey that both states would soon have legal marijuana.
Plans didn’t pan out in either state, though New Jersey residents will be voting on the issue at the ballot box in November.
New York State Sen. Liz Krueger said things are looking up this year in the Empire State, especially now that Gov. Cuomo is fully on board.
“When I talk to legislators who had hesitancy about supporting last year, I find the vast majority of them now feel that their questions have been answered,” Krueger said.
Cuomo said during his address that it is an ethical imperative to legalize the cannabis in the state, according to the news outlet, and said he hopes to work with Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to coordinate policy reform efforts. Cuomo also called for the State University of New York to form a cannabis and hemp research center, Patch.com reported.
“I think it’s a rehash of the momentum that picked up last year,” Joshua Horn, partner at Fox Rothschild, told Cannabis Business Times.
A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast — it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York.
Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new concerns, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut still want to make recreational pot legal. And they and Pennsylvania's governor have been comparing notes on how to do it.
A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast — it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York.
Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new concerns, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut still want to make recreational pot legal. And they and Pennsylvania’s governor have been comparing notes on how to do it.
During his Wednesday State of the State address, the governor expressed his support for fully legalizing adult use of cannabis, saying, “For decades, communities of color were disproportionately affected by the unequal enforcement of marijuana laws.”
As a caveat to the claim, Cuomo also proposed that New York’s state universities do research on cannabis and its potential benefits or pitfalls.
“The federal government failed Americans with opioids,” Cuomo said, in a briefing book released with his speech. “And we cannot allow that to happen with cannabinoids.”
Much of Cuomo’s marijuana plan this year seemingly mirrored his legislation in 2019, including the creation of a new state agency to oversee recreational pot, medical marijuana and hemp.
The proposal would limit recreational pot sales to over age 21 and promote social equity in the cannabis industry through various programs. It also is expected to feature a regional approach to legalizing recreational marijuana in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Cuomo said.
One major issue that fell short last year was marijuana legalization. It was a failure that Mr. Cuomo promised to remedy in 2020, a move that could pour much-needed revenue into state coffers. At the same time, the governor also suggested that the state university system be enlisted to do research on the drug and its effects, saying that “the cannabinoid industry has gone unregulated and unchecked,” likening the drug’s potential peril to that of opioids.
With support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and many members of the state legislature, 2020 could be the year when New York legalizes the adult use of recreational marijuana.
But the issue has become complicated by a widespread lung ailment linked to vaping.
A measure to legalize cannabis for adults was proposed in 2019, as part of the state budget. It did not make it into the final spending plan, and it failed to win enough support to pass as a standalone bill in the state Senate.
New York will be among the first states to establish a grading program for cannabis-derived extracts assuring consumers some degree of quality control.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Monday authorizing the Department of Agriculture and Markets to adopt standards for cannabidiol, or CBD, which is gaining wide acceptance among the public for offering relief from a variety of ailments.
As it gains in popularity, however, product quality still remains questionable in terms of potency and uncertain science about the long-term impacts of the drug.