- Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has called for the state to legalize marijuana for the third straight year.
- Governor Cuomo feels that the COVID pandemic has created the perfect opportunity to legalize marijuana and generate “much-needed revenue.”
- The proposal is only a part of Cuomo’s upcoming State of the State agenda.
For the third straight year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) is calling for the legalization of adult recreational use of marijuana inside state lines.
The proposal, announced on Wednesday, is a part of Cuomo’s upcoming State of the State agenda.
“Despite the many challenges New York has faced amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also created a number of opportunities to correct long-standing wrongs and build New York back better than ever before,” Cuomo said in a release.
“Not only will legalizing and regulating the adult-use cannabis market provide the opportunity to generate much-needed revenue, but it also allows us to directly support the individuals and communities that have been most harmed by decades of cannabis prohibition.”
I’m announcing a proposal to legalize cannabis and create an equitable adult-use cannabis program in NYS.
This program will generate much-needed revenue, while allowing us to support those that have been most harmed by decades of failed cannabis prohibition.#SOTS2021— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 6, 2021
This latest proposal marks three straight years that Cuomo has tried to bring legal weed to New York. After failed attempts in 2019 and 2020, Cuomo has demonstrated his dedication to bringing this law to life.
The year before Cuomo’s legalization attempt in 2019, the Department of Health followed the Governor’s lead and conducted a multi-agency study that found the positive impact that results from legalizing recreational marijuana far outweighs the negative side effects that could “potentially” occur.
This resulted in Cuomo and the state of New York passing legislation in 2019 that decriminalized the unlawful possession of marijuana; a move that typically indicates a state is soon going to legalize. This legislation also expunged criminal records for certain marijuana offenses.
Governor Cuomo’s proposal reflects what a promising year 2021 has the potential to be for cannabis. And if New York kicks off the new year by legalizing marijuana, it could create a domino effect that leads to a big spike in legalizations throughout the year.
The third time’s the charm they say. And if Cuomo happens to get denied for a third straight year, you can expect another attempt to follow it up within the next twelve months.
