Cuomo Signs Marijuana Legalization Into Law

[DonViejo]

Source: PoliticalWire


March 31, 2021 at 1:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

“After years of stalled attempts, New York State has legalized the use of recreational marijuana, enacting a robust program to reinvest millions of dollars in minority communities ravaged by the decades-long war on drugs,” the New York Times reports.

“With his signature, New York became the 15th state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, positioning itself to quickly become one of the largest markets of legal cannabis in the nation.”

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Read more: https://politicalwire.com/2021/03/31/cuomo-signs-marijuana-legalization-into-law/

[Budi]

1. This especially:

"NY will automatically expunge convictions, & bar police from stopping cars based on smelling weed."

We used to call that entrapment

[FalloutShelter]

5. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ShepKat]

2. what a sigh of relief

you can possess up to 3 ounces and have 5 lbs stored at home. That more than works for me

[Budi]

3. K & R

This is reasonable.

[FalloutShelter]

4. OMG. I'm in heaven.

No more sneaking around. It has been unjust and ridiculous for so long.

[appmanga]

11. Five Pounds???!!

Also known in Crown Heights as "Enough for the weekend".

[ancianita]

6. The law also expunges former pot convictions; those in prison will be released. AND

40 percent of tax revenue from cannabis will be steered to minority communities that had disproportionate numbers of marijuana arrests. [AND]

The law also seeks to allow people with past convictions and those involved in the illicit cannabis market to participate in the new legal market.

“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.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/nyregion/cuomo-ny-legal-weed.html

[tishaLA]

12. Those are all great news

I'm interested in how NY plans to license non-home growers whose products end up in dispensaries. I recall some states having problems because large corporate growers had too much leverage in that part of the industry and either de jure or de facto kept smaller growers from getting a foothold.

[ancianita]

13. The article says

People, for example, will eventually be able to ... cultivate up to six plants at home for personal use. Dispensaries won’t open until more than a year from now, and localities could opt out of allowing such businesses.

Hope that's useful.

[Harker]

7. I quit, Colorado legalizes. I move to NY, it's legal.

Where should I go next?

[RussBLib]

8. nothing in there about tourists being allowed to buy

but geez, store up to 5lbs at home?! Dayum.

Max of 12 plants per household.

I cry for Texas. Stupid fucking GOP.

[Akoto]

9. Wish that were true here in FL. I'm going on medical MJ next week...

Statewise, it's legal. Federally, no. Going to cost me a lot to get the license/go through the doctor's visit (though that should be easy, given my two specialists directed me to go this route now), etc etc. Neither of my specialists dispense licenses because it's still a risky thing for doctors here, imagewise, to even have the ability to do so.

Still, I hope it does me some favors. My condition isn't curable and after 16 years, it's time for something other than tons of different pills. I'm hoping it may even help me cut down on those, though I'm figuring how I'll afford the dispensary shopping costs on a disability budget...

[YoshidaYui]

10. Omg congratulations you guys!!!

Link to tweet

I love my delivery!!

[Tommymac]

14. I'm in a New York State of Mind

[ancianita]

15. Cuomo's work on this was significant, with racial equity in mind.

Lawmakers and lobbyists were surprised by the number of concessions that Mr. Cuomo, not known for easily compromising, made in order to secure a policy win amid a worsening political crisis, pushing the bill over the finish line.

“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,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/nyregion/cuomo-ny-legal-weed.html

[Hekate]

16. Great news