NY Will Move To Legalize Recreational Marijuana In Coming Days, Reports Say

Health officials in New York will reportedly recommend legalizing recreational marijuana, with the backing of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration. The New York State Department of Health is scheduled to release a long-awaited report on marijuana in the upcoming days, according to the state health commissioner.

The report is currently being finalized before it will be released to the public. If approved, lawmakers will then have to approve any proposal to legalize marijuana in the state, which currently has a medical marijuana program to use non-smokeable forms of cannabis for certain ailments.

“We realized that the pros outweigh the cons and the report recommends a regulated, legal marijuana program be available to adults in the state of New York,” New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker stated at a news conference in Brooklyn on Monday.

Zucker said that the study, which was performed by the Department of Health, is evaluating the impact and potential issues that would come with legalizing marijuana, including where it would be grown, how it would be distributed and what sort of taxes should be imposed. It is also not clear what the age of consent for purchasing marijuana would be. It is not clear when the report will be made public.

The study was first commissioned by Cuomo in January. According to Zucker, the report, which has not been finalized or released, had brought together “experts from all across the government,” as well as “outside stakeholders” with interest in public safety, public health, and economics, including taxation.

No timetable has been set for the potential legalization of marijuana in New York, though nothing is expected until next year, at the earliest. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn for the year on Wednesday, and Cuomo has reportedly not asked for any legislation to enact the plan.

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