ALBANY, NY – After years of false starts, New York state lawmakers said on Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to legalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use by adults starting next year.
State Sen. Liz Krueger said lawmakers were finalizing a bill that would create a new state regulator for marijuana products and decriminalize possession of up to three ounces of marijuana. New Yorkers will be allowed to grow marijuana for personal use and the state will study a new system to determine whether drivers are drunk from using marijuana, she said.
The bill will be approved next week by the state Assembly and Senate, lawmakers said. Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has proposed to legalize marijuana in the state budget that expires next week. He included marijuana legalization in his budget proposals in 2019 and 2020, but was withdrawn after disagreements with Democrats who dominate the state legislature and the Senate.
During an unrelated briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Cuomo said: “We are close, but we have been close three times before”. Spokesmen for the governor did not immediately respond to specific questions about the project.
Ms. Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsors the move, said the final legislation has evolved after input from industry stakeholders across the country.