ALBANY, N.Y. — New York leaders have reached a deal that would legalize recreational marijuana across the state, according to multiple reports.
Lawmakers in Albany have hammered out an agreement with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to permit recreational pot use for people 21 and older, the New York Times reports, although – if passed – the first sales would likely not begin until about a year after it was legalized.
The plan would be to impose marijuana taxes and license dispensaries, according to Bloomberg. The publication says Cuomo's office estimates a legal recreational marijuana program could generate roughly $350 million in annual tax revenue after it was fully implemented in a few years.
The Times writes that supporters of the proposed law change hope it would stop years of "racially disproportionate policing that saw Black and Hispanic people arrested on low-level marijuana charges far more frequently than white people."
According to the newspaper, the precise language of the bill was being reviewed Thursday, but legislation could pass the Democrat-led State Legislature as early as next week – opening the door to a potential $4.2 billion industry in the Empire State. The Times says the proposal would let people grow up to six pot plants at home for personal use and pave the way for marijuana lounges that would function like bars – but with cannabis instead of alcohol.
Cuomo – who has been under scrutiny amid allegations of sexual harassment and mishandling of nursing homes during the pandemic – held a virtual press conference this week, declaring marijuana legalization a top budget priority.
"We've been trying to legalize cannabis for three years. I failed every year. We're close, but we've been close three times before," Gov. Cuomo said.
The governor pointed to surrounding states that have already legalized recreational pot.
"It's in New Jersey. It's in Massachusetts. To say we're going to stop it is not an option. It is here," Cuomo said. "The only question is, do we regulate it here, do we gather the revenue here, or do we have people driving to New Jersey, which is right there, or to Massachusetts if you're in a northern part of the state, but it is here."
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes told our sister-station WGRZ that the passage of recreational marijuana is looking very likely in New York.
As we reported in January, a pair of Florida lawmakers have introduced legislation that would legalize marijuana in the Sunshine State, though it's unclear how much support the bills have in the Legislature. Sen. Jeff Brandes from Pinellas County, and Orlando Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith introduced SB 710 and HB 343.
The proposed Florida measures would allow adults 21 and over to purchase a certain amount of marijuana without a medical marijuana card. The bills would also create a regulated market for marijuana cultivation and retail. Under the Florida bills, adults would be allowed to buy 2.5 ounces of marijuana or a cannabis product with no more than 2 grams of THC.
10 Tampa Bay's sister-station WGRZ contributed to this report.
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