New York's Plan For Legal Marijuana Expected Early Next Year
By Noah Manskar, Patch Staff | Dec 11, 2018 4:54 pm ET | Updated Dec 11, 2018 4:56 pm ET
NEW YORK — New York lawmakers won't have to wait much longer to spark a blunt debate over legalizing marijuana. Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to proffer a proposal for setting up a recreational pot program in the state early next year, his office said Tuesday.
Cuomo, a Democrat, commissioned a state Department of Health study early this year that found legalizing the drug for adult recreational use would do more good than harm. The governor in August commissioned a working group to draft legislation to that end and held a series of public listening sessions on the issue.
"Now that the listening sessions have concluded, the working group has begun accessing and reviewing the feedback we received and we expect to introduce a formal comprehensive proposal early in the 2019 legislative session," Cuomo spokesman Tyrone Stevens said in a statement.
The governor's office has previously indicated that a proposal would come in the upcoming legislative session. Unveiling it earlier in the year would give the state Assembly and Senate a chance to consider it before final negotiations over the next state budget, which must be approved by April 1.
Cuomo will likely present his next executive budget proposal in January. It's uncertain whether the marijuana plan will be part of the budget or a separate bill on its own, a Cuomo aide said.
"As we have said since August, the goal of this administration is to create a model program for regulated adult-use cannabis — and the best way to do that is to ensure our final proposal captures the views of everyday New Yorkers," Stevens said.
Officials estimate legal marijuana could become a $3.1 billion business in New York and generate more than $677 million in tax revenue in the first year. At least one politician wants to use some of the money to fund the struggling Metropolitan Transportation Authority, but others argue it should be used to tackle the racial injustices wrought by drug enforcement.
New York would join other northeastern U.S. states in legalizing cannabis. Marijuana sales started in Massachusetts last month and recreational pot use became legal in Vermont in July, according to news reports. Legalization legislation also reportedly got through committee votes in New Jersey's state legislature in November.