The New York State Senate and Assembly are expected to vote on a bill this week that will legalize recreational use of marijuana in New York. The bill sets up a state Office of Cannabis Management, equivalent to the State Liquor Authority, that will license, regulate and tax marijuana production and sales.
People will be able to possess up to three ounces of marijuana for their own use. They can grow up to three plants per person or six per household for their own use. Regulations cover everything from keeping the drug safe from children to growing operations. Local governments are allowed to opt out having marijuana dispensaries, but not of the law itself. It provides for licensing, distributing, and retailing of marijuana. It also creates a program to assist communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says experts predict the new law will generate up to $350 million a year of new tax revenues, which will be shared with local governments, and create as many as 60,000 jobs in the legal marijuana industry.