As the state`s cannabis industry expands — generating about billions in tax revenue — New York officials want to prevent what happened with legalization in other states, where those who entered the market had existing funds to start businesses. That meant excluding low-income communities of color, which were most affected by the war on drugs. The Missouri Democratic Party has chosen to stay completely out of the election issue, announcing that it « supports the legalization of marijuana » but has no official position on Amendment 3. Colorado has been at the forefront of drug legalization for decades, legalizing medical use in 2000 and legalizing recreational use in 2012. But in the case of Proposition 122, which seeks to decriminalize the personal use and possession of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms — or « magic mushrooms » for people over 21 — Colorado is lagging behind. Nearly a year and a half after the signing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, Chris Alexander, executive director of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, told Capital Tonight that the office is working on licensing retailers for the legal cannabis market with a priority for small and medium-sized businesses. Alexander said early retailers are « on track » to open by the end of 2022, and others are on track for the new year. Bautista, who helped push marijuana through New York, acknowledges that the current system has its own flaws, but he doesn`t think that matters. « No other state in the country has really tried to embrace social justice and the contaminated sites market, » he said. Instead, other states have tried to « alienate and ostracize » the old market. « I don`t know if it will be perfect, but we can`t let the perfect get in the way of good. » Meanwhile, North Dakota Gov. Dug Burgum signed a bill in 2019 decriminalizing possession of half an ounce of cannabis — though concentrates are still illegal.
The state legislature also discussed a legalization bill in 2021, though the state Senate rejected the bill after gaining support from the House of Representatives. This story was first published in NY Cannabis Insider, the state`s leading cannabis-focused newspaper. Click here to log in. Most of the people I spoke to for this article criticized New York`s approach to legalization efforts. (To be clear, I haven`t spoken to anyone « weed is bad and should be illegal. ») But that legalization and decriminalization efforts are flawed everywhere is inevitable. Holland, the cannabis lawyer, thought there were better ways to legalize that would make the most of the legacy market faster. « One option would be to legalize the existing market and everyone buys a license, » he said. Or you would introduce an amnesty program for former operators. « If you created amnesty, you would have a pretty big crisis for a lot of people. » Measure 2 of 2022 isn`t the first move by North Dakota — which has already approved medical cannabis — to legalize weed for recreational use. In 2018, voters rejected Measure 3, which aimed, among other things, to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for people over the age of 21 and to overturn convictions for legalized controlled substances. But this measure was crushed with 59.45% against 40.55%.
Fans tried again in 2020, but were hampered by the pandemic. While some opponents worry that legalizing psilocybin is a path to public harm, the co-founder of the Society for Psychedelic Outreach, Reform and Education believes the measure is a « corporate power grab » that puts « profit above people and commercialization above community. » Finally, on Friday, we released attorney Jeffrey Hoffman`s latest Ask Me Anything segment. During the conference, Hoffman answered and commented on questions about CAURD candidate selection, multiple license ownership, and DASNY`s retail progress. NY Cannabis Insider`s conference schedule for the rest of 2022 is now available! Buy tickets for our half-day conference in Syracuse in September and our one-day conference in Tarrytown in November. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan senator who was one of the main sponsors of the legalization bill, acknowledged that the effort was flawed, but said lawmakers could adapt as the market took shape.