There is one team winning in New York this year: Weed

New York Budget Establishes Cannabis Regulatory System

By: WeedClub Team, Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 3:00 PM PT

Governor Andrew Cuomo, the 56th Governor of New York, will likely be the first NY policy maker to legalize marijuana.  The New York Governor's Office released their outline for the fiscal year 2021 budget, and included in it are provisions to enable Medical and Adult Use Marijuana legalization.  

Besides establishing the governing body for the program, the Office Of Cannabis Management, the regulatory framework goes further into the weeds of regulation.  New York will have special programs for Social Equity candidates, and the Governor intends to fund a research campus in partnership with SUNY. 

According to the announcement posted by the Governor's Office, "This year Governor Cuomo is proposing a comprehensive regulatory approach to legalize cannabis, creating a new Office of Cannabis Management to specialize in cannabis regulation - overseeing the medical, adult-use and hemp programs. The proposal will administer social equity licensing opportunities, develop an egalitarian adult-use market structure and facilitate market entry through access to capital, technical assistance and incubation of equity entrepreneurs. The proposal will also correct past harms to individuals and communities that have disproportionally been impacted by prohibition. To safeguard public health, the proposal limits the sale of cannabis products to adults 21 and over and establishes stringent quality and safety controls including oversight over the packaging, labeling, advertising and testing of all cannabis products. These efforts will be done in coordination with neighboring states Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Governor will also propose creating a first of its kind Global Cannabis and Hemp Center for Science, Research and Education with SUNY and other expert partners.".