The Brian Lehrer Show spent three weeks looking at the issues facing marijuana legalization in the tri-state area for a series called Reefer, Managed. Here’s the first of three stories cataloguing some of their findings for Gothamist. As New York’s legislature struggles to reach a consensus on how to legalize recreational marijuana, some lawmakers are also seeking to expand […]
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Marijuana Legalization Hits a Wall: First in New Jersey, Then in New York
In March, both states seemed days away from a landmark legalization deal. Now inertia is feeding doubts that it can happen this year. A push to legalize recreational marijuana in New York and New Jersey this year appears all but dead in both states, a dramatic fall for an effort that just over a month […]
Marijuana Testing of Job Applicants Is Barred by New York City in Groundbreaking Measure
Most employers in New York City would no longer be able to force job applicants to take drug tests for marijuana use, under a bill overwhelmingly approved this week by the City Council. If the drug-screening law is enacted, it would put New York in relatively uncharted territory. Several drug policy and employment experts said […]
N.Y. medical marijuana maker expands into Massachusetts recreational market
Vireo Health, a maker of medical marijuana in New York, is expanding into the recreational marijuana market with the $10 million acquisition this week of a Massachusetts firm. The company bought Mayflower Botanicals Inc., a registered marijuana dispensary certificate holder in Massachusetts. As part of the transaction, Vireo acquired 73 acres of land in rural New Bedford, […]
Push for legal marijuana is stalled in New York government
Time is ticking for New York’s governor and state lawmakers as they continue to hash out a deal to fund the government for the coming fiscal year. As the Monday deadline approaches to approve the budget, the push for legalizing adult-use cannabis does not appear to have made the cut. The Albany Times-Union reported Thursday legalized marijuana […]
Advocates, Cuomo disagree on status of marijuana legalization talks
Marijuana advocates say negotiations at the state Capitol to legalize the drug for adult use have been halted as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders this week try to nail down the final pieces of a state budget agreement. Sources with knowledge of the matter said a number of rank-and-file legislators were told marijuana […]
Black Lawmakers to Block Legalized Marijuana in N.Y. if Their Communities Don’t Benefit
Black lawmakers are blocking a push to legalize recreational marijuana in New York, warning that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposal could perpetuate the racial inequality fostered under current drug laws. The lawmakers say that unless people of color are guaranteed a share of the potentially $3 billion industry, there may be no legalization this year. They […]
NYC bodega owners rally for right to sell marijuana when its legalized
They want in on this budding industry. New York City bodega owners rallied in The Bronx on Sunday morning to urge state politicians to allow them to sell marijuana in the city’s 15,000 stores when the green is ultimately legalized. “Rather than drug peddling outside of these bodegas, we want to bring them inside,” said […]
New York assembly speaker casts doubt on quick marijuana legalization
New York’s Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo may not be able to hammer out a deal on legalizing adult-use marijuana in the next two months, according to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. In remarks Thursday following a criminal justice event in Manhattan, the speaker discounted the possibility of legislative leaders agreeing to a framework […]
Cities, towns could opt-out under Andrew Cuomo’s New York marijuana plan
Cities and towns in New York would still be able to ban marijuana sales under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s soon-to-be-released plan to legalize the drug statewide. Cuomo, a Democrat, is expected to unveil his full recreational marijuana proposal Tuesday as part of his budget plan and State of the State address, which is set for 2 p.m. But […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes state legalize recreational marijuana
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday called on New York state to fully legalize recreational marijuana, which would open the door for sales, regulation and taxes on the drug. “Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all,” he said during a speech outlining his 2019 legislative priorities,NBC New York reported. Monday’s address […]
Cuomo to reveal ‘green new deal’ with marijuana on state’s 2019 agenda
It’s high time to decriminalize marijuana in New York, Democratic leaders are saying. Come the start of the legislative session in January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will reveal a “green new deal” of his own. Details are scarce, but the governor’s team promised it would consider the recommendations that the Department of Health released in July calling for […]
While marijuana sales begin in Massachusetts, could New York next?
If New York chooses to follow Massachusetts’ lead on recreational marijuana, Tuesday provided a window in to what it might see. Hundreds of people swarmed the New England Treatment Access store on Tuesday morning as Massachusetts became the first state on the East Coast to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. The store is one […]
New York Liquor Stores Want To Sell Marijuana
If or when recreational marijuana becomes legal in New York, a statewide wine and liquor store group believes it knows the perfect outlets for legitimate weed sales: Wine and liquor stores. Last Store on Main Street, the same coalition that helped defeat a proposal to legalize wine sales in grocery stores a few years ago, announced its new campaign […]
NY Listening Sessions on Legalizing Marijuana Under Way
New York’s governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, announced two more listening sessions on regulated marijuana will be held, raising the total number to 17 across the state during September and October. The sessions began Sept. 24 and are scheduled to continue until Oct. 17. “As we begin the process of creating a model regulated marijuana program, […]
Cuomo Moves Closer to Marijuana Legalization in New York
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo took a step closer to voicing full-throated support for legal marijuana on Friday, embracing elements of a state Health Department report that favored legalization. Mr. Cuomo, addressing reporters after an unrelated speech in Brooklyn, said New York would no longer have the option of trying to simply prevent the flow of […]
Marijuana in New York: Here’s How the Laws Are Changing
New York is getting closer to legal marijuana. On Monday, the state health commissioner said he would recommend legalizing the drug, and on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would hand out tickets to people smoking pot instead of arresting them. But before New Yorkers break out their gummies and vape pens, here’s an explainer […]
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Instructs NYPD To Stop Arresting People Smoking Marijuana
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told top brass at the city’s police department to stop arresting people who are caught smoking marijuana in public, according to a City Hall aide. Currently, smoking in public can lead to arrest, while possession of small amounts of marijuana can lead to a summons. This weekend, […]
