New York just legalized adult-use cannabis! 

Last night, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) received final approval from state legislators, and earlier today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially signed the legislation into law, making New York the 16th state to end cannabis prohibition and the third to adopt a legalization policy via its state legislature.

Under the legislation, adults over 21 may possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, plus adults can grow a maximum of three mature plants and three immature plants once regulations are adopted. Legal possession of up to three ounces is effective immediately. Additionally, the law includes provisions for automatic expungement, community reinvestment, and measures to ensure the industry includes communities that have been disproportionately targeted by cannabis enforcement. Our summary of the MRTA is available here.

We expect this to be a record-breaking year for legalization in state legislatures. Until today, only two state legislatures had ever passed cannabis legalization — Illinois and Vermont, both efforts led by MPP. Now, we may see two legislatures pass legalization this WEEK alone.

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called a special session, which started yesterday, to finish the job on legalization. During the regular session, the House passed an equitable legalization bill, but the clock ran out before the Senate could. Already, committees have advanced legalization during the special session.
   
• Today, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam formally recommended the legislature move up legalization of possession and home cultivation to July 2021. (The legislatively passed bill did not legalize possession and home cultivation until 2024.) The legislature will consider his changes — which the speaker supports — on April 7.
   
• In addition, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island — all of which MPP is heavily involved in — have a real chance of passing legalization legislatively this year.

Adding New York to the list, 38% of Americans now live in a legalization state. But, that means 62% do not, despite more than two-thirds of Americans supporting legalization. We need your help to change that, so please support our work to pass more bills through state legislatures by making a donation today. 

Congratulations to the Empire State on this huge victory, and kudos to all the advocates who worked to make it possible!

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Ask your state legislators to support cannabis legalization!

Good news! This weekend, Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders reached consensus on the details of legalizing cannabis in the Empire State.

You might recall earlier in the legislative session Gov. Cuomo released his plan to legalize cannabis in New York – the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act. Legislative leaders also reintroduced the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which has been introduced several times since 2013. Gov. Cuomo later revised his bill to address concerns around equity and penalties for possession and usage.

This past weekend, the two sides reached a deal. You can check out a summary of the proposed legislation here.

Please email your state lawmakers and ask them to support legalization.

Under the proposal:

• adults over the age of 21 would be allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, plus a maximum of 12 plants per household once regulations are adopted;
• a hybrid tax would be imposed, with a potency-based tax levied on distributors (0.5 cents/mg of THC for flower, 0.8 cents/mg for concentrates, and 3 cents/mg for edibles) and a point of sale retail tax of 9% state tax and a 4% local tax (with 75% of the local earnings going to municipalities and 25% to counties); and
• after regulatory and administrative costs, 40% of cannabis revenue would go to community grants reinvestment, 20% to schools, and 40% to drug treatment facilities and public education, including for a youth-focused public health education and prevention campaign, a statewide public health campaign on the health effects of cannabis, and for substance use disorder treatment.

​​​​​​​The bill is expected to receive a floor vote later this week! Please write your legislators now and spread the word. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the bill progresses through the legislature.

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A new poll shows that 62% of New York voters support making marijuana legal for adults 21 and older. Only 28% are opposed. The poll, conducted by Emerson College and commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance, is available here.

The poll also found that voters were far more supportive of legalizing and taxing marijuana than other options for addressing the state’s budget deficit. Sixty percent of respondents supported legalizing and taxing marijuana to help address New York’s budget deficit, with 28% opposed. Between 15% and 27% of voters supported each of the other options presented — increasing sales or income taxes, increasing tolls, or cutting public education or other services.

It’s time New York stop wasting resources punishing otherwise law-abiding residents for using a substance that is safer than alcohol. Let your lawmakers know voters want them to take marijuana off of the criminal market, so we can create good jobs, build the economy, and fund essential services.

New Yorkers have spoken clearly — it is time to legalize marijuana in the Empire State.

If you are a New York resident, please email your lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo today. Let them know it is time to replace marijuana prohibition with thoughtful regulation.

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According to WSHU.org, New York’s health department is asking permission from the federal government to import out-of-state medical marijuana until its own program is able complete the regulatory process.

The program requires the health department to establish rules and license marijuana production companies. The health department, however, says that it will take until 2016 to get the program started.

[caption id="attachment_8141" align="alignright" width="300"] Gov. Andrew Cuomo[/caption]

Until then, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has requested the Department of Justice to permit importation of medical marijuana from states with existing functional programs.

Although the federal government could potentially grant such a waiver, or simply exercise prosecutorial discretion, patients in the Empire State should not hold their breath.

MPP’s Rachelle Yeung says the federal government has been slow to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana, and that Gov. Cuomo has been equally slow to implement medical marijuana.

“I don’t want to speculate as to his motivations, but as governor of the state of New York, there are ways to expedite the process without asking for special permission from the federal government.”

Furthermore, Yeung relays that it typically takes years for the federal government to allow researchers access to medical marijuana. To avoid this delay, she and other marijuana advocacy groups are urging Cuomo’s administration to accelerate the regulatory and production processes within the state.

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