recreational marijuana

With state lawmakers nearing a vote on legalizing adult recreational use of marijuana, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn is urging lawmakers to consider keeping marijuana on the controlled substances list of the Public Health Law.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said legalizing recreational marijuana is not going to be part of the state budget this year. Cuomo made his comments as the budget deadline approached with no agreement on how to close a $15 billion budget gap, caused by the fallout from the coronavirus.

Backers of legalizing the adult use of recreational marijuana in New York rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday, but some key differences among lawmakers might hold up passage.

With support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and many members of the state legislature, 2020 could be the year when New York legalizes the adult use of recreational marijuana. But the issue has become complicated by a widespread lung ailment linked to vaping.

The 2019 legislative session was among the most productive in several years, with the passage of bills that ranged from strengthening abortion rights, to allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses If you’re a liberal democrat, there’s a lot to like. But conservative republicans are not as pleased. 

Legislative leaders have announced an agreement in principle on nine bills that they say will extend and strengthen New York City’s rent laws. It’s part of an effort to get a number of bills passed before adjournment later in June.

After the failure to include legalized recreational marijuana in the New York state budget earlier this year, sponsors of the legislation say they are introducing a new bill that they hope stands a better chance at becoming law.

With recreational marijuana legislation left out of the recently passed New York State budget, advocates for legal cannabis are pressing state lawmakers to approve a standalone bill, ideally by the end of the current legislative session. In the meantime, members of the Drug Policy Alliance are criticizing the governor for what they deem a failure to deliver on a promise of criminal justice reform.

The chance to include the legalization of adult recreational marijuana in the state budget is fading, now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo seems to be backing away from the proposal.

The legalization of recreational marijuana is up in the air in Albany. Advocates and opponents in the state legislature are running out of time to hash out a deal before the March 31st budget deadline. But as WBFO's Chris Caya reports - plans for building a high-tech cannabis campus on the Buffalo waterfront are still moving forward.

There have been numerous reactions to many of the policy items in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state budget. But how did the governor’s budgeting skills measure up? Two budget watchdog organizations are giving him mixed reviews.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says legalizing the adult use of recreational marijuana is among the agenda items for his coming new term. New York State already has legal medical marijuana, but some raise questions about how legal recreational pot may affect the integrity of the medicinal program. One of the local experts recruited to the governor's work group for crafting legal pot legislation, meanwhile, suggests very little is known about the substance many are in a hurry to make legal for casual consumption.