New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was on Long Island last week to garner support to legalize marijuana in 2020. Local lawmakers opposed the legislation last year.
Marijuana legalization failed in 2019, but the governor’s office wants to try again this year. They plan to create a new regulatory office and ensure oversight on all cannabis products.
Hochul says any effort to legalize cannabis needs to address past injustices.
“This is an important way to right a wrong that has historically disadvantaged communities of color where there has been disproportionate arrests and incarceration, and this is one way to do justice by those communities.”
Hochul also says tax revenue from legalization would help address the budget deficit.
