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New York Decriminalizes Recreational Marijuana, Falls Short Of Governor’s Goal To Legalize

New York became the 15th state Monday to decriminalize marijuana.

New York became the 15th state Monday to decriminalize marijuana.

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Topline: New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Monday further decriminalizing recreational use of marijuana, but fell short of his goal to fully legalize the substance in 2019.

  • Under the new law, people will have to pay small fines instead of facing criminal charges for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
  • New penalties under the law are a $50 fine for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana and a maximum $200 fine for possessing one to two ounces.
  • The law also offers a process for people with marijuana possession convictions to have their records wiped clean.
  • “Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by laws governing marijuana for far too long, and today we are ending this injustice once and for all,” Cuomo said. 

Key background: According to the FBI, over 360,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession between 2008 and 2017. Although fully legalizing marijuana was one of Cuomo’s top legislative goals for 2019, the effort collapsed in June when state Democrats disagreed on how to regulate the industry. The Times-Union reported the bill signed Monday is seen as a compromise between industry regulation and the impact of marijuana criminalization on communities of color. A state report said marijuana sales could generate between $1.7 and $3.5 billion in annual revenue. Cuomo wanted to use marijuana revenue to bolster New York City’s distressed subway system, among other needs. Marijuana is fully legalized in 11 states (plus Washington, D.C.); 14 other states decriminalized marijuana before New York. According to federal law, however, marijuana remains illegal in the U.S.

Original Article Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2019/07/29/new-york-decriminalizes-recreational-marijuana-falls-short-of-governors-goal-to-legalize/

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