17 Dec Cuomo Announces Plan for 2019 NY Adult Use Legalization

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today said that he will support legalization of adult use of cannabis as a key part of the 2019 legislative agenda. In fact news reports suggest he wants to get this done within the first 100 days of his new term next year.

In his remarks on the subject he focused on reversing the stigma of cannabis use and eliminating the targeting of people of color in enforcement of anti-cannabis laws. According to ABC News, in New York City, Comptroller Scott Stringer estimated  that legalizing cannabis could yield as much as $1.3 billion in annual tax revenue for the state and about $350 million for New York City alone.

In August the Governor commissioned a work group to focus on drafting the legislation, following the advice of a task force that the benefits of legalization outweigh the risks. The work group has been conducting “listening sessions” throughout the state.

As recently as 2017 the Governor had called cannabis a gateway drug. Given the national trend to legalization and the fact that New York’s neighbor, New Jersey, is about to pass adult use legislation, however, Cuomo has felt political pressure to move ahead.