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In speaking about the state’s spending plan, which is due on Thursday, April 1, Cuomo called legalizing cannabis his “top priority in the budget,” noting that the deal is nearly done, though they haven’t punched through the goal line.
Cuomo made note that the state has been attempting to legalize cannabis for three years, though it failed every year.
“We’re close, but we’ve been close three times before. If we were playin horseshoes, we’d be in good shape, but this is not horseshoes,” he said during a briefing on Wednesday, March 24. “You either get it done and sign a bill, or you don’t.”
During the briefing, Cuomo said that he understood the opposition by some to legalizing the product, but made note that anyone who wants to purchase it can simply go to neighboring New Jersey or Massachusetts, where it’s been legalized for recreational use.
Cuomo likened legalizing cannabis to legalizing casino gaming, where New Yorkers can simply go to a Native American reservation, or to New Jersey or Connecticut to get games in.
“In a perfect world, maybe you'd be against legalizing cannabis. In a perfect world, you could argue, no gaming, no gambling, no casinos,” he said. "We don't live in a perfect world. We didn't have casino gaming. I know, but it was in New Jersey, and it was on Native American reservations, and it was in Connecticut.”
Shortly after Cuomo’s statement, state lawmakers announced that they’ve reached a tentative deal to legalize marijuana, including special taxes on the product, poising New York to become the 15th state to legalize cannabis.
“We have passed the point of legalized cannabis. It's in New Jersey. It's in Massachusetts,” he added. “To say we're going to stop it is not an option. It is here. The only question is, do we regulate it here, do we gather the revenue here, or do we have people driving to New Jersey, which is right there.”
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