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Tag: Governor Andrew Cuomo

  • Pot Legalization A Priority for 2019, Gov. Cuomo Says

    Pot Legalization A Priority for 2019, Gov. Cuomo Says

    Cuomo has positioned legalization as a key factor in “the most progressive agenda this state has ever seen, period.”

    The state of New York inched closer to major marijuana legalization and reform when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that recreational marijuana should be legalized “once and for all” in early 2019.

    Speaking on December 17, 2018 and again in his inaugural address on January 1, 2019, Cuomo included legalization, as well as an end to “needless and unjust criminal convictions” for possession, as part of his administration’s agenda for the first 100 days of the new year. 

    Cuomo’s latest push for legalization comes at a time when support is reaching large and diverse numbers: Half of metro-area New York residents and the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, have expressed support for such a measure. The decision has far-ranging implications for the state – as WABC in New York noted, City Comptroller Scott Stringer estimated that the state stands to reap approximately $1.3 million in annual tax revenue from legalization.

    For his part, Cuomo has positioned legalization as a key factor in “the most progressive agenda this state has ever seen, period,” and one that includes justice reform, gun control, affordable health care and increased spending on the state’s infrastructure, and which can be viewed as rebuke of the Trump administration. 

    “When they write the history books and ask what did we do – in the face of anger and division, when people were disillusioned, let New York’s answer be that in this defining moment we brought healing and light and hope and progress and action,” said Cuomo in prepared remarks during his inaugural speech. “That New York led on legalizing recreational marijuana, bringing justice and new economic opportunity, not for rich corporations, but for the poor communities that paid too high a price for too long.”

    District Attorney Gonzalez’s actions in Brooklyn echoed Cuomo’s message of progressive reform by asking for the removal of 28 past convictions for misdemeanor possession charges. The court also vacated 1,400 open warrants for individuals who missed court appearances for marijuana possession charges. 

    “I do not believe these cases keep us safer,” Gonzalez said. “They cause a lot of distrust in our justice system. We all here know there is a tremendous racial disparity in respect to how these cases have been enforced in the past.”

    Gonzalez added that the decision to clear the convictions does not indicate a blanket response to all such past charges but instead reflects the growing legal attitude towards such cases. “It’s a little unfair to say we’re no longer prosecuting these cases, but to have these folks carry these convictions for the rest of their lives [would be unfair],” said Gonzalez. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • New York Should Use Marijuana Taxes to Repair Subways, Report Says

    New York Should Use Marijuana Taxes to Repair Subways, Report Says

    One NYU professor makes the case for why the state should use marijuana tax revenue to fund the MTA’s Fast Forward plan to fix the popular transportation system.

    For New York City residents, the simple act of taking the subway can come with a host of problems: long delays in crowded, poorly ventilated and aging cars, and stations without basic elements of accessibility, such as elevators.

    Delays can impact the schedules of the more than 1.7 billion individuals that use the subway each year, and late employees can cost businesses more than $380 million per year. The Metropolitan Transit Authority announced a “Fast Forward” plan to address these concerns, but the project is expected to take a decade and cost more than $40 billion.

    New York University (NYU) professor Mitchell L. Moss has a possible solution; use the tax revenue from legalized marijuana sales to fund the subway project.

    Moss’s plan, outlined in a report published by the NYU/Wagner Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, suggests that legalizing marijuana could add between $110 and $428 million in annual tax revenue to Empire State coffers. That figure is lower than a projection by New York State’s health department, which suggested that taxes from legal marijuana could yield $670 million per year. 

    Figures like those – as well as growing dismay over the subway system’s woes by the public – have generated interest from city officials, including the Metropolitan Transportation Sustainability Advisory Workgroup, a panel assembled by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to conceptualize ways to pay for the subway project.

    Some members of the panel, including former City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, as well as current City Council speaker Corey Johnson, have voiced their support for the plan.

    With Democrats currently in control of the state Senate, Governor Cuomo suggesting that a legalization bill is in the draft stage, and subway riders voicing support for the plan in an informal New York Times poll, Moss’s proposal appears to be gaining traction.

    But as Vox pointed out, exactly how much marijuana tax revenue can be diverted to transportation remains unclear. 

    Colorado, which has earned $862 million in total revenue from legal marijuana since 2014, is one of the few states that use those funds for transportation issues. According to the Denver Office of Marijuana Policy, the city will put $9 million into “mobility projects,” like sidewalk repair and the creation of bike lines, in 2019. But the majority of tax funds will go towards regulation of the city’s marijuana sales, as well as education and safety.

    The $9 million is just part of the remaining funds left after those issues are paid.

    Eric Escudero, who serves as director of communication for the Office, said that the funds are welcome, but “it’s not going to solve every issue that needs financial or taxpayer support.”

    He noted that changes to the marijuana market – specifically, when new states initiate legalization – might impact how much tax revenue can be earned. As a result, Denver does not look at their marijuana tax as a silver bullet.

    “It’s important that you don’t promise the streets are going to be paved with gold because of marijuana, because that won’t happen,” he said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Is New York City Handing Out Harsher Penalties For THC Oil Possession?

    Is New York City Handing Out Harsher Penalties For THC Oil Possession?

    A new report reveals a major contradiction in the city’s ongoing efforts to reform marijuana enforcement.

    Getting caught with a cartridge of THC oil can land you in jail in New York City—despite city officials’ promise to decriminalize marijuana offenses.

    A new report by The Appeal highlights the disparity in the city’s enforcement of possession of THC oil versus marijuana in its raw form.

    “Cannabis oil possession carries a harsher charge than regular marijuana possession,” The Appeal reports.

    “Because the oil is classified as a controlled substance, the charge is a Class A misdemeanor, the same class used for low-level heroin and crack possession. Those convicted of the charge can be sentenced to up to a year in jail.”

    The fact that police officers are still treating THC oil possession as a criminal misdemeanor contradicts the city’s ongoing efforts to reform marijuana enforcement.

    On Sept. 1st, the city enacted a new policy to ticket instead of arrest people for public marijuana smoking. Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed that the new policy would reduce marijuana possession arrests by 10,000. Each year, about 17,500 people are arrested in New York City for marijuana possession.

    Neither the mayor’s office nor the NYPD agreed to comment on its policy regarding THC oil.

    “The DA’s office has prosecuted at least 22 THC or cannabis oil cases since Sept. 1, according to public defenders in Brooklyn… In 13 of those cases, people were charged with possessing cannabis oil alone, without any other misdemeanor or felony charges,” The Appeal reports.

    Oren Yaniv, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office, says the DA is working to reduce marijuana convictions.

    “New York law categorizes THC oil not as marijuana, but as a controlled substance… However, recognizing that THC is the active ingredient in marijuana, we believe that the two forms of marijuana should be treated similarly,” said Yaniv.

    Meanwhile, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is working on the bigger picture. The state is currently exploring legalizing marijuana for adult use. New York already has a medical marijuana program. However, home cultivation, smokable medical marijuana, and edible products are not allowed under the program.

    This month, during a recent appearance in Buffalo, Governor Cuomo said that marijuana legalization legislation is in the works.

    “We now have a working group that is putting together a piece of legislation that would do it, because the devil is in the details: How do you do it, where do you do it, what are the ages, etc.? What is New Jersey doing? What has Massachusetts done? So that legislation is being crafted. I expect it to be introduced next year. The when and the how, we’re not clear,” Cuomo said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • NYC Welcomes Public To Marijuana "Listening Sessions"

    NYC Welcomes Public To Marijuana "Listening Sessions"

    The public’s feedback will help state officials draft legislation to legalize marijuana in New York.

    New York is hosting “listening sessions” across the state to gather the public’s input on marijuana legalization.

    The Regulated Marijuana Listening Sessions will run from September to mid-October across New York state, as Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in August.

    “Community input is critical as we work to draft balanced and comprehensive legislation on a regulated marijuana program in New York,” Cuomo said at the time.

    A July report commissioned by Cuomo—the Assessment of the Potential Impact of Regulated Marijuana in New York State—concluded that the positive impacts of a regulated marijuana market outweigh the possible negative impacts, according to a press release issued in August by the governor’s office.

    The feedback from the public will inform the Regulated Marijuana Workgroup, which will draft legislation to legalize marijuana in New York, that will be considered by the state legislature in the upcoming session.

    “The multi-agency report identified the benefits of a regulated marijuana market, and with these listening sessions we are taking another important step to develop a model program for New York. We look forward to hearing what New Yorkers in every corner of the state have to say,” said Cuomo.

    New York currently has a medical marijuana program in place, albeit with several limitations. Home cultivation, smokable medical marijuana, and edible products are not allowed under the program.

    The report—which assessed the impact of a legal marijuana system in New York from a health, economic, public safety and criminal justice perspective—also stated that potential areas of concern can be mitigated through regulation and public education.

    “Input from communities in every region of the state is an essential part of our approach to a regulated marijuana program,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul in August. “With a thoughtful process, New York is moving forward to craft a policy that will ensure continued progress across our state.”

    The remaining listening sessions are listed below:

    Sept. 26 – Staten Island

    Sept. 27 – Long Island

    Oct. 1 – Newburgh

    Oct. 2 – Binghamton

    Oct. 3 – Buffalo

    Oct. 4 – Rochester

    Oct. 9 – Syracuse

    Oct. 10 – Utica

    Oct. 11 – Watertown

    For more information on locations and pre-registration, visit the New York state website.

    View the original article at thefix.com