Legal Marijuana Era Approaches In New York

New Yorkers over the age of 21 will be able to legally buy marijuana as early as next year, under terms of a bill agreed to by both houses of the state legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo and set to be voted on Tuesday.

By late 2022, adults in the state would be able to buy cannabis in retail stores, and could also sample the drug in tasting rooms similar to winetasting venues. They would also be able to grow a limited number of marijuana plants at home — six per person and up to 12 per household.

Both the governor and the legislature offered proposals.

Senate sponsor Liz Krueger says the final measure more closely resembles the bill she and Assembly sponsor, Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes had advocated for. It includes a community reinvestment fund for neighborhoods adversely impacted by the decades long prohibition of the drug.

“It will make us the nation’s leading model for marijuana legalization,” said Krueger. “It puts racial justice in the foreground.”

50% of the licenses to grow and sell marijuana would be set aside for what’s known as equity businesses, including people from disproportionately impacted communities and small farmers. They would have access to loans, grants, and incubator programs. [Read more at WAMC]