Lawmakers Vote To Legalize Marijuana
by Doug La Rocque
By a large margin, the New York State Senate and Assembly voted Tuesday evening, March 30, to legalize marijuana, mostly along party lines. Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign the legislation.
The bill allows the personal possession of up to 3 ounces of cannabis, and also permits growing up to six marijuana plants in one’s home. It also imposes a 13% sales tax, which according to some figures, could mean as much as $350 million in added revenue for the state. Counties and localities that would permit a marijuana dispensary within their borders, would also share in a small portion of this tax.
How Our Local Lawmakers Voted
State Senator Daphne Jordan, a Republican who represents most of Rensselaer County and all of Columbia County, joined her fellow party members in casting a no vote. In a press release, she said law enforcement has shared that in other states it has seen increases in traffic fatalities, violence and crime since legalizing marijuana and that it’s also spurred illegal black-market activity. Recreational marijuana could also potentially become a gateway drug that opens the door to other forms of substance abuse.
The Senator further added “this legislation ignores input from law enforcement and district attorneys and fails to effectively address the issue of people driving while impaired, potentially placing lives in danger in every community across the state.
This bill will dramatically increase the chances that young children will be exposed or have access to marijuana, a fact that has been demonstrated in other states that have legalized it. The bill also fails to include adequate safeguards to ensure workplace safety.”
Republican Assemblyman Jake Ashby also voted no when the roll was called in his chamber. He tells The Eastwick Press, “With the multitude of unanswered questions, the disproportionate and negligible amount of revenue for our local Counties and the creation of an over-complicated licensing system that is ripe for corruption and restrictive to our local farmers and entrepreneurs, I voted no,” said Assemblyman Jake Ashby. “By failing to address so many serious questions – including imposing no limit on potency – this legislation was rushed and incomplete.”
A Different Perspective
Assemblyman John McDonald voted in favor of the legislation for a number of reasons. He tells The Eastwick Press “first and most importantly, I want to thank our Majority Leader Crystal People Stokes for her efforts on this legislation. Her efforts to ensure that this bill was comprehensive and addressed the concerns that were raised are the reason we are passing this bill. I personally have spoken to her on several issues over the years on this bill including local government rights, excise taxes, workplace issues, impaired driving etc. Her responsiveness to the issues is appreciated.
Personally, I am not a fan of smoking nor am I a fan of marijuana. As one who grew up in the 70s and 80s I am familiar with the impact marijuana has had on some individuals and marijuana has been an item I have avoided.
Yet, there is a reality upon us that we cannot ignore. State by state adult use marijuana is being approved for public use for a variety or reasons. One that impacts my community speaks to the war on drugs which ravaged communities of color and there is a long way to go to repair those harms, but this bill is a step in a positive direction and rights the wrong from decades ago.
Additionally there is a greater awareness of the benefit of adult use marijuana in helping individuals through difficult health situations. This bill expands our medical marijuana options which I believe is a positive as more therapeutic information is coming to demonstrate the beneficial impact for those struggling with chronic conditions.
From a street view, I believe firmly that standardization of adult use marijuana will help deter the street drug market which is unregulated, void of quality control and quite honestly a threat to public health. As I hear more stories of individuals buying marijuana laced with fentanyl I fear that the potential for greater overdoses is real. We need to change the conversation and recognize that in the long term, a regulated and standardized adult use marijuana market may help erase the images of the street drug market that are embedded in our minds, especially those who grew up in the 70s and 80s.
This bill presents a critical opportunity for our agricultural community. Many in the farming community have struggled through the years and this legislation presents a great opportunity for improving the sustainability of our farms and our farmers, something that I respect even though the district I represent is essentially devoid of farms.
This bill respects the rights of local governments. If a town, city or village wants to participate or does not want to participate, they have a choice. That along with the ability to regulate the time, place and manner I believe is more than fair.
For this reason and many others, I supported this bill and thank the sponsor for her dedicated work.”
The Eastwick Press will be speaking to community leaders in the coming weeks, to ascertain their feelings about a possible dispensary within their borders. According to the sponsors of the legislation, with all the regulations that have yet to be put in place, do not expect to see any New York State dispensaries pop up until a year from now at the earliest.