Legalizing Pot Could Increase NY Revenue [POLL]

NEW YORK — A group of New York senators think it's the right time to enact laws that could mitigate the coronavirus crisis' unequal impact on the state's communities of color. Many of the concerns existed before the pandemic and include housing, privacy, immigration and juvenile and criminal justice.

In a news release, state senators Brad Hoylman, Jessica Ramos and Jamaal Bailey call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to pass key legislative measures that would defend New Yorkers disproportionately affected by the virus.

On the list is marijuana legalization.

The senators said, in the news release, "As the state reaches for new sources of revenue to help rebuild, it must also acknowledge how the pandemic has compounded the long-standing disparate effects of economic deprivation on communities of color, and how that deprivation has been exacerbated by marijuana prohibition."

They said the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act would legalize marijuana "under a framework that addresses the disparate burdens placed on people of color in the decades of racist enforcement of marijuana prohibition by reinvesting revenue generated from legal marijuana in their communities."

The proposed law would sustain community investment grants and prioritize those impacted by the war on marijuana for licensing and start-up capital.

Also the law would allow the state to allocate a percentage of marijuana revenue to sustain the program and allow the state to raise revenue and address injustice at the same time, the news release said.

"There is a lot of momentum gathering for adult-use legalization this year, but one of the key issues that remains to be resolved is the amount of revenues that will go back to communities most impacted by existing cannabis law enforcement. This is an important issue for New Yorkers with many groups trying to develop the right solution. So there is work to be done here, but I remain optimistic." said Elliot Choi, an attorney at the New York office of Vicente Sederberg LLP, a national cannabis law firm.

New Yorkers over the age of 21 would be able to use, grow and sell cannabis through a licensed and taxable state-run system, bringing cash to low-income communities, the senators argued.

In August, the use of marijuana was made a little less illegal. Legislation signed by Cuomo reduced the penalty for unlawful possession of marijuana to a violation punishable by a fine and created a process for individuals who have been convicted for having small amounts of pot to have their records expunged.

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.