Gov. Andrew Cuomo Announces Plans to Regulate Adult-Use Marijuana in New York

New York, NY–PRESS RELEASE–New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday the establishment of a working group appointed to draft legislation to legalize and regulate the adult use of marijuana in the state. The announcement comes soon after a NY Department of Health study reported that the positive effects of marijuana legalization greatly outweigh the potential costs.

The work group will be overseen by Counsel to the Governor, Alphonso David, and consist of experts in the fields of public health, safety, and economics. The group plans to work with lawmakers and other government officials with relevant experience to draft a bill with hopes that it will be taken up in the next legislative session.

“After years of feet dragging, it is encouraging to see movement on marijuana legalization in New York State,” NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri said. “Around 23,000 individuals are arrested in the Empire State every year, overwhelmingly individuals of color, and it is long past time for that practice to end. Gov. Cuomo needs to use his bully pulpit to expedite this process and get a legalization bill through the state legislature as soon as possible, maybe then his state can finally cease to be home to the marijuana arrest capital of the world and the entire state can begin to benefit from a system of legalization and regulation.”

To date, these statewide regulatory programs are operating largely as voters and politicians intended. The enactment of these policies have not negatively impacted workplace safety, crime rates, traffic safety, or youth use patterns. They have stimulated economic development and created hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue. Specifically, a 2017 report estimates that over 149,000 Americans are now working full-time in the cannabis industry. Tax revenues from states like Colorado, Oregon and Washington now exceed initial projections. Further, numerous studies have identified an association between cannabis access and lower rates of opioid use, abuse, hospitalizations and mortality.