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New York Sits on the Cusp of Cannabis Legalization

The Clock is Ticking and the Empire State is Down to the Wire as an attempt is made to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

Wednesday June 19, 2019 is the proposed deadline for New York State Lawmakers to vote on the issue of recreational marijuana.

After efforts to pass recreational cannabis stalled earlier this Spring, the Bill is once again appearing before the New York State Senate. Members of the state house and assembly have until the end of the day on Wednesday 19 June, 2019 to reach an agreement on the legality of recreational cannabis in New York State.

Preemptive reports insist this bill is dead and yet lawmakers in New York clearly still have hope. Reports state this bill has “more lives than a cat” as efforts are being made to potentially rewrite the bill for a third time to increase support.

Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes, a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly to to Twitter to vice her opinion on this sensitive topic. “From the start of the legalization discussions, I’ve made it clear that community reinvestment is a top priority and more importantly, that funding for these communities need to be identified in statute. By Sunday night, that did not happen. It is imperative that we do this right the first time. If the two houses can finalize an agreement and the Leaders agree to stay until Friday, then I am hopeful. Otherwise, I will continue to fight for justice.”

Peoples-Stokes represents Assembly District 141, which includes the city of Buffalo within Erie County, New York. One of her goals is to reinvest portions of capital into communities “disproportionately hit by high marijuana arrest rates over the decades. Lawmakers say effort to legalize marijuana in New York is dead, Buffalo News, June 19, 2019”, a major point regarding which Cuomo and law makers have not all been able to see eye to eye.

Amendments promised to be introduced by midnight in order to be ready for a vote on Friday have not yet been introduced. These amendments were created in order to garner more support from the Senate. In order for the natural legal process to occur, this was needed by midnight.

A “Plan B” bill has also been proposed which will further decriminalize cannabis in the case that the recreational bill doesn’t pass.

AudioKush