In Albany, a legalization measure that once seemed as unstoppable as a locomotive ran completely off the rails. The push to include adult-use cannabis legalization in the New York Legislature’s 2019 state budget package officially died on Monday.
Legalizing marijuana in New York won't be happening soon.
As the final agreement on a state budget comes into form, legalizing pot won't make the cut, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders said.
Cuomo proposed a plan to tax and regulate marijuana as part of the budget for the fiscal year that starts Monday.
But Cuomo and lawmakers indicated in recent weeks that it was increasingly unlikely a deal could be reached. And Cuomo on Friday night made it official.
For much of his time in office, Governor Andrew Cuomo was dismissive of the calls to legalize recreational marijuana. He once derided weed as a “gateway drug” and only seemed to pivot when Cynthia Nixon ran a long-shot primary against him last year. Now Cuomo is a convert to the cause and a newly empowered Democratic State Senate appears ready to make New York the eleventh state to legalize marijuana.
To David R. Clifford of Auburn, it just makes sense: If marijuana becomes legal for adult recreational use in New York, he says, consumers should be able to grow their own.
“I can grow my own tomatoes or herbs," he said. “If I’m a beer drinker, I can grow my own hops and make some home brew. So why not let me grow my own cannabis?”
Even a cursory look at Andrew Cuomo’s record as New York Governor will reveal that he has been anything but a champion of progressive drug policy. As recently as 2017, Cuomo was still reacting to calls for legalization with anti-marijuana talking points and gateway theory. But the 2018 midterm elections changed the calculus. Facing more progressive challengers, and holding a Health Department report recommending adult-use legalization and full, retroactive decriminalization, Cuomo had to pivot his stance.
A bodega — which is derived from the word for a storehouse where wine is matured — is a small convenience store typically offering alcohol, tobacco, snacks, beverages, and other small offerings. There are more than 15,000 bodegas in the greater New York City area.
Many bodega owners want to be able to sell cannabis once it’s legal. “Right now we sell cigarettes, we sell beer — we are highly regulated. There is no reason why we cannot be included in the packaging, distribution and sale of marijuana,” said Mateo.
Gov. Cuomo’s plan to legalize recreational marijuana is stuck in the weeds.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the legislation is complex and may not be approved as part of the state budget due April 1, but would be dealt with later.
“Being honest and saying six weeks may not be enough time to come up with regulations, deal with economic impact on communities and the criminal justice aspects, somehow gets reactions of outrage instead of understanding and acknowledgment of the commitment to get this done,” Heastie said in a Thursday tweet.
New Jersey may be falling behind other states in its efforts to legalize marijuana. Brian Thompson reports.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his plan to legalize adult use cannabis in 100 days. The governor did not provide a lot of details but suggested it would continue to be a restrictive program.
Of course, New Jersey also said it would legalize adult use cannabis but then found it has taken much longer to make adjustments to the rules and regulations of a conservative medical cannabis program. Cuomo did note that consumers would need to be over the age of 21 and he was very supportive of towns cities having the ability to opt out of allowing cannabis businesses.
As part of his sweeping state budget, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo today proposed a plan to legalize, tax and regulate adult-use cannabis and to expunge past cannabis-related conviction records of residents. Because this is contained within a state appropriations package, this plan could move quickly in the state legislature.
Cuomo’s pitch would cap the number of cultivation, distribution and retail licenses allowed in the state, and would prohibit companies from vertically integrating.