The Empire State, AKA New York lawmakers have reached a deal to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
They are expected to finalize the language of the bill and pass it next week.
The following written content from Denis Slattery
Under the agreement, cannabis use will be legal for adults over 21, who could possess up to three ounces of pot for personal use.
Budget officials have estimated that the program, once fully up and running, could bring in about $350 million a year in revenue for the state.
Efforts to approve recreational marijuana have repeatedly stalled in the Empire State over the past three years as Democrats in the Legislature sought to set aside a larger portion of a potential tax haul for minority communities and the governor wanted the state to retain control of the funds.
The legislation, which could pass both chambers by as early as next week, imposes a 9% state tax on retail sales and counties would be able to add an additional 4% levy. Towns and cities could fully opt out of the program, sources said.
New Yorkers with a green thumb would be allowed to grow up to six pot plants each, either indoors or outdoors, and households would be limited to 12 plants total.
More than a dozen other states have already legalized pot, including neighboring New Jersey and Massachusetts.
The measure is largely based on the Legislature’s long-stalled Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act and would create a new state Office of Cannabis Management overseeing licensing for growers, wholesale distributors, dispensaries and even adult-use “consumption sites.”
The office would report to a five-member board made up of appointees picked by the governor and Legislature. Under the governor’s previous plans, the agency running the pot program would have reported to the executive.
Earlier in the day, the governor indicated again that legalizing weed was one of his top budget priorities.
“This year we have to get it done, and getting it done by the time the budget is passed is essential,” he said. Read more from Daily News
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