NY Governor Andrew Cuomo held a 75-minute-long press conference and addressed the speculation regarding the legalization of adult-use marijuana in the state.
Cuomo told the reporters he was “not confident” that an agreement would be reached to legalize recreational cannabis in the state budget, which is due to be out any time before April 1. Thus, one can fairly assume that if adult-use cannabis is ‘ever’ legalized in New York, it will most probably not happen in the present year.
The democrat further added that cannabis is a very sensitive topic and a lot of debates, discussions, and arguments have to be made in order to get approval from other members. Pressure from parents, teachers and other law-enforcement authorities have further slowed down the process.
Besides a provision for the legalization of adult-use Marijuana in the state budget, Cuomo had wanted a permanent limit on the property tax, criminal justice reforms and all-new vehicle tolls for bikers entering central Manhattan.
Supporters of the cause have requested lawmakers to act quickly as neighboring states like Massachusetts and Vermont have already taken a huge ‘lead’ by legalizing the recreational drug.
The billions in tax revenue that the state government would fetch, once adult-use marijuana is legalized, will be utilized to improve the New York City’s failing subway system that is still running on an outdated infrastructure, faulty technology and old Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) rules, causing unusually long delays for commuters, which in turn is costing the state’s economy.
