Cuomo Moves to Legalize Recreational Marijuana in New York Within Months
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that he would push to legalize recreational marijuana next year, a move that could generate more than $1.7 billion in sales annually and put New York in line with several neighboring states. The highly anticipated proposal came in a speech in Manhattan on Monday, in which the governor outlined his agenda for the first 100 days of his third term. Mr. Cuomo framed the speech as a reflection on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt — the former president who was once a New York governor himself — would do today, mixing sweeping rhetoric about American ideals with grim warnings about the Trump administration.
The speech, which seemed delivered with a national audience in mind, could prolong slow-burning speculation about Mr. Cuomo's presidential ambitions. It also showed, in striking detail, the governor's leftward evolution in his eight years in office, from a business-friendly centrist who considered marijuana a "gateway drug," to a self-described progressive championing recreational marijuana, taxes on the rich and a ban on corporate political donations.
"The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else," Mr. Cuomo said before introducing the cannabis proposal, describing the injustice that had "for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities. "Let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all," he added.
Ten other states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana, spending the new tax revenue on a range of initiatives, including schools and transportation.
Legalizing marijuana is now one of Cuomo's priorities. He's been resisting it for years.
Cuomo's Monday message was his strongest public endorsement of recreational marijuana to date. It marks a substantial shift from his prior opposition, as recently as last year when he called it a "gateway drug." The change in policy stance also follows a bitter battle for the Democratic gubernatorial primary against Cynthia Nixon, who supported legalization.
In 2018, Vermont became the first (and so far, only) U.S. state to legalize recreational use of cannabis by an act of the legislature, following a vetoed attempt in 2017. Lawmakers in New Jersey and Illinois may follow suit, although opposition remains.
Also at CBS.
Related Stories
Vermont's Governor Phil Scott has vetoed a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis in the state, but says "there is a path forward on this issue":
Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, said on Wednesday he was vetoing a bill to legalize marijuana, and sending it back to the legislature for changes. "We must get this right," Scott said in prepared remarks at a press conference today. "I think we need to move a little bit slower."
Though he said he views the issue "through a libertarian lens," Scott vetoed the bill due to concerns about detecting and penalizing impaired drivers, protecting children, and the role and makeup of a Marijuana Regulatory Commission. The governor said he is "not philosophically opposed" to legalization, "and I recognize there is a clear societal shift in that direction." He said he'll send recommended changes to the the Democratic-majority legislature, and that if they address his concerns, "there is a path forward on this issue."
Also at The Hill, NORML, Reason, The Washington Post (AP), and The Vermont Standard.
Previously: Vermont Legislature Passes Cannabis Legalisation Bill
Illinois Becomes 11th State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Illinois lawmakers voted to legalize recreational marijuana, becoming the 11th U.S. state to do so and bolstering Governor J.B. Pritzker's efforts to shore up the finances of the cash-strapped state.
The House of Representatives Friday passed the measure that allows the purchase and possession of cannabis by those who are 21 and older starting in 2020. The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday. Pritzker, who took office in January, had made legalization a key platform in his campaign and said soon after the legislation passed that he will sign it. The billionaire Democrat's budget proposal for the year that starts July 1 included an estimated $170 million from the sale of producer licenses.
Illinois joins a growing movement to end the prohibition of the drug: ten other states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational pot in the past seven years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Illinois's move follows Michigan, potentially creating a hub in the Midwest after efforts to legalize in New Jersey and New York stalled earlier this year.
Vermont was the first state to legalize cannabis through an act of the legislature. Illinois is now the second state.
Also at Chicago Tribune.
See also: llinois state lawmaker uses eggs to demonstrate 'your brain on drugs'
Legalizing marijuana is a victory for freedom in Illinois
Previously: Vermont Legislature Passes Cannabis Legalisation Bill
Following Years of Opposition, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Plans Cannabis Legalization
(Score: 3, Touché) by Captival on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:08AM (4 children)
"The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else," Mr. Cuomo said before introducing the cannabis proposal, describing the injustice that had "for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities."
It's so awful the way 2017 Cuomo savagely and racist-ly oppressed African Americans! He was a monster! Luckily 2018 Cuomo is here to speak truth to power and fight back against previous Cuomos. Hooray for our new champion of the poor and downtrodden, 2018 Cuomo!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by edIII on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:14AM (1 child)
No 180. What we are seeing is a natural reaction to the pioneering US states that legalized it. The big fat coffers again overflowing with taxes, cities back in the black, the stability before the economic collapse of the late 2000's being enjoyed again.
He's still for businesses, and weed is huge business. He's also able to look at California and see how not to do it, or for the cynical, exactly how to make it legal and then hand it to monied interests while pushing out the small operators.
New York wants taxes just like everybody else, and they have to pay for Bezo's helicopter pad and big fat tax incentives somehow right?
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:29AM
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday December 19 2018, @06:28PM (1 child)
Imagine observing the world around you and then learning things from it. The horror!
Somebody my even change their opinion based on the preponderance of evidence. And of course, to morons, that would look bad.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @08:07PM
That doesn't change the fact that Cuomo's a stupid whore.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:21AM (3 children)
https://www.civilized.life/articles/fdr-a-tale-of-two-prohibitions/ [civilized.life]
Roosevelt campaigned as a "damp candidate", rather than "wet" or "dry".
In a nutshell, Roosevelt would take whichever position he thought would gain the most votes. If neither side would be a winning move, Roosevelt would straddle the fence. Wishy washy bastard.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 19 2018, @01:30PM (2 children)
Who knew that could be a winning strategy for a politician?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:56PM (1 child)
Far too often. Governor Cuomo seems to have learned it well. He opposes legal Mary-J for all his life, but suddenly, he's in a rush to get it legal. Yes, the Governor learned the lessons that his hero taught quite well.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday December 19 2018, @04:33PM
When enough people support legalization it's only a matter of time. Once it hit legalization in multiple states, all it'll take for most of the rest to get on board is looking at the $$,$$$,$$$,$$$ to realize how financially beneficial it would be. It's not like it's inherently worse than Alcohol.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday December 19 2018, @04:04AM (2 children)
When will we vote for a congress to do their duty? Yeah, they smell the money, and maybe medicare will be their supplier. Future retired stoners planning ahead.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 3, Insightful) by TheGratefulNet on Wednesday December 19 2018, @05:40AM (1 child)
the old guard is waiting for some key members to actually die.
it seems the only way to get this issue; the old fucks who just won't admit they were wrong, just need to 'age out' so that we can move forward.
the only reasons the states are doing it is for MONEY. oh how they show their true colors. 10 years ago, it was the worst sin; you could lose your life by being stuck in prison for decades. but now, oh the sweet sweet 'taxes' (legal payoffs, really). now, the 'morality' has changed.
but then, why not admit that DARE was all wrong and free all the people you unethically jailed. how about paying back for YOUR past sins, lawmakers??
no. not going to happen. they'll take our money but they'll never admit we were right.
is there any other item that is sold in the US that is taxed more? in calif, a $50 item has more than $15 of tax added to it. what other industry puts up with such bullshit? I don't know of any, do you?
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 19 2018, @02:10PM
Or get voted out. This huge surge of legalization (ten states in six years have legalized recreational use with pretty good results) indicates to me that federal level legalization of marijuana is only a few years out. Trump might push for it just to have a better chance in 2020. I doubt it'll take more than ten years.
Agreed. Politics never works that way where people admit they're wrong on a regular basis.
tobacco products [salestaxhandbook.com] presently. Alcohol is pretty low and they did away with most of the tax on luxury goods (particularly boats). Always seems something that needs to be taxed ridiculously because we need to show our superior morality (and spend spend spend that sweet cash).
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:29PM (1 child)
Hasn't Cuomo seen the documentary Reefer Madness?
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:51PM
He probably got a nice-sized check and conveniently forgot about it.
https://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/45083/andrew-cuomo [votesmart.org]
Is Anheuser-Busch Next To Strike A Deal With The Cannabis Industry? [forbes.com]
PepsiCo just became the latest beverage company to say it's looking at the fast-growing cannabis market [cnbc.com]
The above is only the 5 minute equivalent of investigative reporting, but you get the idea.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday December 19 2018, @06:44PM (4 children)
I have long thought drugs should be legalized. The war on drugs has eroded Americans' civil liberties and safety for a long time. There are many health and economic benefits to normalizing them also.
On the other hand, I really don't want my neighborhood inundated in a miasma of eau de skunk or to have to tell my kids to dodge discarded needles on the sidewalk. Thankfully New York was cleaned up a long time before I came to live in it, but stories natives tell me about discarded needles in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village doesn't sound like a family friendly environment.
Have other places solved those problems in other ways without re-criminalizing drugs?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @07:44PM (1 child)
Those problems are a direct result of the criminalisation in the first place. Make something illegal and people have nowhere to go to do it legally. So they have to be sneaky about it. Community supported ‘safe’ rooms for drug injection have done a lot to help clean up the mess in countries/cities that have them. Homelessness is the other issue. Nowhere to live, nowhere to shoot up privately.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @08:14PM
yes and "drug" use and self destructive addiction to dangerous synthetic substances is different behavior and caused by different things. a dangerous lack of pigs kidnapping people's fathers and kids is not the cause of either...
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday December 19 2018, @08:28PM
I've heard this one a lot. Unless you ban smoking tobacco and vaping on public roads (not just in front of hospitals or wherever), it has no relevance that I recognize. Personally, I like the cannabis odor a lot more than tobacco. But my preference is irrelevant.
Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, your kids are already being assaulted in the lung by car exhaust, tire particles, etc. That stuff smells a lot worse to me than cannabis and there's a lot more of it, but you get used to it, to the detriment of your health. It's something that humanity has not dealt with for the majority of its existence (a less modern example would be wood-fired stoves [theguardian.com]). Your kids should be walking around with full face respirators on. [soylentnews.org] But that would probably get them bullied.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervised_injection_site [wikipedia.org]
https://www.medpagetoday.com/hivaids/hivaids/75871 [medpagetoday.com]
This simple fix could address a lot of problems caused by the "Opioid Crisis", spent needles included.
Our current slow trend towards legalizing a single drug obviously does not go far enough, and there are solutions on the table that will benefit everyone, parents and children included. But old politicians and vested interests prevent sane policies from being implemented, especially when they pertain to the Drug War.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 19 2018, @09:54PM
I think legalization would decrease those problems as well. If shooting dope isn't a social or legal life sentence, today's junkies could be shooting up at home or in a supervised facility and still hold down a job without being harassed by cops or exploited.