State lawmakers last night passed bills to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in New York by adults.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign the bill. When he does, possession of up to three ounces of marijuana by people 21 and over will become legal in New York. Retail sales would begin in about 18 months, after the government oversight system is set up.
The bill legalizes possession of up to five pounds at home and the home cultivation of up to 12 marijuana plants.
The governor called the legislation “a major leap forward for the Empire State.
“For too long the prohibition of cannabis disproportionately targeted communities of color with harsh prison sentences,” Cuomo said in a statement, “and after years of hard work, this landmark legislation provides justice for long-marginalized communities, embraces a new industry that will grow the economy, and establishes substantial safety guards for the public.”
Tax collections from the adult-use cannabis program are projected to reach $350 million annually, according to the governor. Additionally, there is the potential for this new industry to create 30,000 to 60,000 new jobs across the state, he said.
Conviction records for some marijuana-related offenses will be expunged. Women and people of color will be given priority for licenses to grow, process, sell and deliver marijuana. Some revenues from tax collections would be reinvested in communities that have been long-marginalized and unfairly penalized by the enforcement of existing drug laws, according to advocates.
The bill passed both chambers of the State Legislature last night by wide margins, largely along party lines, with all Republicans in both chambers and a handful of Democrats voting against it. The vote was 40-23 in the Senate and 100-49 in the Assembly.
State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) said he is concerned about the bill’s potential impact on roadway safety, the effects on young children, the demand on addiction services and the quality of life throughout the state.
“This is a bad bill for New York and a continuation of reckless policies coming out of Albany that seek to put social justice ahead of the health, safety and well-being of law-abiding New Yorkers,” Palumbo said in a statement last night.
“Just like the disastrous bail and discovery laws, this legislation was crafted without input from New York’s district attorneys’ offices and law enforcement. As a result, I fear our communities will be affected by the unintended consequences of this bill for years to come.”
Palumbo said his main opposition to the legislation relates to law enforcement’s ability to keep roads and highways safe. The use of marijuana by drivers remains illegal, but the state does not have enough specially trained officers to determine if a driver is impaired due to marijuana use, he said.
“I am very concerned that people driving under the influence of marijuana could seriously injure or kill innocent drivers and escape penalties if we don’t have enough trained drug recognition experts on our local police forces,” Palumbo said.
“The negative consequences of legalizing recreational marijuana far outweigh any revenue gain for the state,” Palumbo said.
Second district Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow) took the same stance yesterday as she questioned Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who sponsored the measure.
“I fear that this is going to be another unfunded mandate that the local towns are going to have to pay after coming out of a pandemic, still trying to recover resources that they had to expend,” Giglio said during the debate on the Assembly floor yesterday. She urged Peoples-Stokes to ensure there is funding in the budget for local police agencies to train drug recognition experts to help ensure traffic safety.
“Currently we have 11 drug recognition experts for 2,500 square miles in Suffolk to detect if people are driving under the influence of drugs,” Giglio said this morning.
Giglio is also concerned about the location and regulation of growing facilities.
“Towns by referendum can opt out of retail sales and on-premises consumption but not growing facilities,” Giglio said. “Will these growing facilities have to be secured with tall fences, guards and bright lighting? That will be for the state cannabis board to decide and the towns will have no say,” Giglio said.
When the bill is signed into law, New York will become the 16th state in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana use.
For more details about the legislation, see prior story:
Editor’s note: This story was amended after its initial publication to add comments from Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio.
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