Governor Andrew Cuomo Promises New York Will Legalize Recreational Weed Use

Andrew Cuomo finally promises to legalize recreational weed usage in New York, opening the door for the money to flow in.

Source: (Photo by Luke Dray/Getty Images) / (Photo by Luke Dray/Getty Images)

With the pandemic still raging on and heading into its second year, many states are suffering from revenue losses at a historic level. Restaurants, for example, have adapted to take out and even outdoor dining but with surges sweeping the nation and the winter weather coming in fast, the fast-thinking solutions to save revenue has evaporated.

Now, according to Complex, Andrew Cuomo thinks recreational marijuana could be the answer to a lot of problems.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo believes the need for funding and the ongoing struggles associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will give him and his team the momentum necessary to get recreational use of marijuana legalized in the state.

“We will legalize adult-use recreational cannabis, joining 15 states that have already done so,” Gov. Cuomo said on Monday. “This will raise revenue and end the failed prohibition of this product that has left so many communities of color over-policed and over-incarcerated.”

This is great news for many reasons, but New York and it’s aggressive (read: racist) policing will have to make good with its past arrests on marijuana possession for this program to be successful.

The big news follows triumphant leaps of change that occurred back in November of last year when New York’s neighboring state New Jersey authorized the legal use of recreational marijuana. The vote allows New Jersey officials the process to also regulate cannabis in addition to issuing licenses and permits to prospective businesses.

You can watch Cuomo speak, in detail, on the legalization below.