Cuomo Says He'll Push To Legalize Marijuana For Recreational Use

Cuomo announced that legalizing the adult use of marijuana is near the top of his legislative priorities in 2019during a speech in Manhattan Monday, previewing his January annual State of the State address. 

He also vowed to pass the Child Victim’s Act, strengthen gun laws and re-evaluating the current cash bail system in jails and prisons.

Currently, New York only allows the use of medical marijuana companies, with several dispensaries operating in the Hudson Valley. Earlier this year, Cuomo put together a group designated to draft legislation to fully legalize the drug.

No timeline has been provided for the legalization of marijuana, though the announcement came as he outlined his plans for the first 100 days of 2019. If the legislation passes, New York would become the 11th state in the nation to legalize it.

"We must end the needless and unjust criminal convictions and the debilitating criminal stigma, and let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all,” Cuomo said on Monday.

Cuomo’s sudden shift regarding the legalization of marijuana is in stark contrast to previous statements he has made, calling it “a gateway drug” just last year. His change of opinion comes on the heels of a new Quinnipiac poll, which found that 63 percent of New Yorkers favor legalization. Legalization also represents potentially hundreds of millions of tax dollars for the state.

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