Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2021 16:01:57 GMT -5
What to know about NY's plan to legalize recreational marijuana
Jon Campbell
New York State Team
ALBANY – New York is set to become the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana for recreational use after state lawmakers put it to a vote Tuesday.
But the first legal marijuana sales in New York will remain at least a year away as the state sets up a regulatory system for overseeing the cannabis industry.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders struck a final deal late Saturday on a bill that will authorize the cultivation, sale and possession of cannabis products including marijuana, with state residents also getting the green light to grow plants at home.
The Legislature is set to vote on the bill Tuesday, but it's widely expected to pass with both houses led by a strong Democratic majority.
Here's some of what the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act will do once approved in New York:
How old will you have to be to legally possess marijuana?
How much marijuana will you be able to legally possess?
Where will you be able to buy marijuana from?
How much will marijuana sales be taxed?
Who is going to oversee New York's marijuana system?
What kind of marijuana possession/sale would still be illegal?
I was convicted of a marijuana-related crime. Will my record be expunged?
When will legal marijuana sales start?
Will I be able to grow marijuana in my home?
How old will you have to be to legally possess marijuana?
The bill applies to anyone over the age of 21. It will remain illegal to possess, purchase or use marijuana if you are under 21.
How much marijuana will you be able to legally possess?
It will be legal for those over the age of 21 to possess, display, purchase, obtain or transport up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis, according to the bill.
The bill also makes clear that those of legal age can use, smoke, ingest or consume cannabis or concentrated cannabis products, including marijuana. And they can give it to anyone else over the age of 21.
Where will you be able to buy marijuana from?
New York's plan will allow the state to issue a variety of different cannabis licenses, with different ones available for growers, processors, distributors and retail sites.
There will be two different types of sites allowed to sell marijuana to consumers:
Retail dispensaries, which will essentially be storefronts where people can purchase cannabis products and take them home
Adult-use consumption sites, which will be lounge-like locations where people can purchase marijuana and use it right there on site.
How much will marijuana sales be taxed?
Sales of marijuana will be taxed at a rate of 14%, according to the bill.
Of that, 9% will go to the state, while 3% will go to the city, town or village where the sale is made and 1% will go to the county.
There will also be a tax imposed based on THC content: 0.5 cents per milligram for flower, 0.8 cents per milligram for concentrated cannabis, and 3 cents per milligram for edibles, according to the bill.
The state's share of the marijuana tax revenue — expected to be $350 million a year when fully implemented — will be split three ways. 40% will go toward grants for communities disproportionately affected by prior drug laws; 40% will go toward schools and education; and 20% will go toward drug treatment and education programs, according to the bill.
Who is going to oversee New York's marijuana system?
The bill will create a new Office of Cannabis Management to implement regulations and oversee the entire industry, including the recreational marijuana, medical marijuana and hemp sides.
The office will be overseen by a board appointed by the governor and legislative leaders. The office will also have an executive director appointed by the governor.
What kind of marijuana possession/sale would still be illegal?
Penalties will start to kick in once someone possesses or displays more than three ounces of cannabis flower or 24 grams of concentrated cannabis.
They would range from a simple violation on the low end to a Class D felony for possessing more than 10 pounds of flower or four pounds of concentrated product.
Penalties for illegal sale would remain for anyone who sells marijuana or cannabis products without a license. They range from a violation on the low end to a Class C felony for over 100 pounds.
It will also remain illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana, though there remains considerable debate over how best to enforce it.
The bill will require the state Department of Health to study the use of saliva-based marijuana tests and recommend whether they can be used moving forward.
I was convicted of a marijuana-related crime. Will my record be expunged?
If you were convicted of a previously illegal act related to cannabis that the bill legalizes, your record will be automatically expunged.
The bill requires the state Office of Court Administration to scour its records and determine whose record has a crime that should be wiped clean. The office will have up to two years to complete the tax, according to the bill.
When will legal marijuana sales start?
The bill does not appear to give a date when legal marijuana sales can begin, but it will certainly be many months before it happens.
Legal sales will only begin once the state issues cultivation, processing and sales license.
That will take some time: The governor and legislative leaders will have to appoint people to the Office of Cannabis Management and the accompanying board, and then they will have to approve regulations and go through the license-issuing process.
The tax structure of the bill wouldn't take effect until April 1, 2022, which would seem to be the absolute earliest legal sales could begin.
Will I be able to grow marijuana in my home?
Yes, but not for some time.
The law allows every New Yorker over the age of 21 to grow up to three mature and three immature cannabis plants at a time, with a maximum of 12 plants per household.
If you're a certified patient in the state's medical marijuana program, you can begin growing six months after the law takes effect -- provided that the Office of Cannabis Management has growing rules in place by then, which it will be legally required to do.
For recreational users, the wait will be longer: Growing can't begin until 18 months after the first legal sales at dispensaries or consumption sites, pushing it out into 2023 or 2024.
www.uticaod.com/story/news/2021/03/29/ny-marijuana-law-what-know-deal-legalize-adult-use/7044591002/
Some people in Utica are already walking down the street puffin on a joint. Passed three at the Bus Hub this PM. I hate the damn smell and I still believe it is a gateway drug which some weaker individuals will fall right into. Weed will be able to be smoked at any place a cigarettes' or cigar or pipe can be smoked. I wonder about people taking smoke breaks at work like they do now will weed be also allowed; its legal. And what about people bring edibles into work for you know break room. Now that be interesting.
Lastly how will this be monitored and the rules enforced! Will they! I also don't totally agree with how some of the revenue will be spent.
Oh well light up and have fun but not near me.....
Jon Campbell
New York State Team
ALBANY – New York is set to become the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana for recreational use after state lawmakers put it to a vote Tuesday.
But the first legal marijuana sales in New York will remain at least a year away as the state sets up a regulatory system for overseeing the cannabis industry.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders struck a final deal late Saturday on a bill that will authorize the cultivation, sale and possession of cannabis products including marijuana, with state residents also getting the green light to grow plants at home.
The Legislature is set to vote on the bill Tuesday, but it's widely expected to pass with both houses led by a strong Democratic majority.
Here's some of what the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act will do once approved in New York:
How old will you have to be to legally possess marijuana?
How much marijuana will you be able to legally possess?
Where will you be able to buy marijuana from?
How much will marijuana sales be taxed?
Who is going to oversee New York's marijuana system?
What kind of marijuana possession/sale would still be illegal?
I was convicted of a marijuana-related crime. Will my record be expunged?
When will legal marijuana sales start?
Will I be able to grow marijuana in my home?
How old will you have to be to legally possess marijuana?
The bill applies to anyone over the age of 21. It will remain illegal to possess, purchase or use marijuana if you are under 21.
How much marijuana will you be able to legally possess?
It will be legal for those over the age of 21 to possess, display, purchase, obtain or transport up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis, according to the bill.
The bill also makes clear that those of legal age can use, smoke, ingest or consume cannabis or concentrated cannabis products, including marijuana. And they can give it to anyone else over the age of 21.
Where will you be able to buy marijuana from?
New York's plan will allow the state to issue a variety of different cannabis licenses, with different ones available for growers, processors, distributors and retail sites.
There will be two different types of sites allowed to sell marijuana to consumers:
Retail dispensaries, which will essentially be storefronts where people can purchase cannabis products and take them home
Adult-use consumption sites, which will be lounge-like locations where people can purchase marijuana and use it right there on site.
How much will marijuana sales be taxed?
Sales of marijuana will be taxed at a rate of 14%, according to the bill.
Of that, 9% will go to the state, while 3% will go to the city, town or village where the sale is made and 1% will go to the county.
There will also be a tax imposed based on THC content: 0.5 cents per milligram for flower, 0.8 cents per milligram for concentrated cannabis, and 3 cents per milligram for edibles, according to the bill.
The state's share of the marijuana tax revenue — expected to be $350 million a year when fully implemented — will be split three ways. 40% will go toward grants for communities disproportionately affected by prior drug laws; 40% will go toward schools and education; and 20% will go toward drug treatment and education programs, according to the bill.
Who is going to oversee New York's marijuana system?
The bill will create a new Office of Cannabis Management to implement regulations and oversee the entire industry, including the recreational marijuana, medical marijuana and hemp sides.
The office will be overseen by a board appointed by the governor and legislative leaders. The office will also have an executive director appointed by the governor.
What kind of marijuana possession/sale would still be illegal?
Penalties will start to kick in once someone possesses or displays more than three ounces of cannabis flower or 24 grams of concentrated cannabis.
They would range from a simple violation on the low end to a Class D felony for possessing more than 10 pounds of flower or four pounds of concentrated product.
Penalties for illegal sale would remain for anyone who sells marijuana or cannabis products without a license. They range from a violation on the low end to a Class C felony for over 100 pounds.
It will also remain illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana, though there remains considerable debate over how best to enforce it.
The bill will require the state Department of Health to study the use of saliva-based marijuana tests and recommend whether they can be used moving forward.
I was convicted of a marijuana-related crime. Will my record be expunged?
If you were convicted of a previously illegal act related to cannabis that the bill legalizes, your record will be automatically expunged.
The bill requires the state Office of Court Administration to scour its records and determine whose record has a crime that should be wiped clean. The office will have up to two years to complete the tax, according to the bill.
When will legal marijuana sales start?
The bill does not appear to give a date when legal marijuana sales can begin, but it will certainly be many months before it happens.
Legal sales will only begin once the state issues cultivation, processing and sales license.
That will take some time: The governor and legislative leaders will have to appoint people to the Office of Cannabis Management and the accompanying board, and then they will have to approve regulations and go through the license-issuing process.
The tax structure of the bill wouldn't take effect until April 1, 2022, which would seem to be the absolute earliest legal sales could begin.
Will I be able to grow marijuana in my home?
Yes, but not for some time.
The law allows every New Yorker over the age of 21 to grow up to three mature and three immature cannabis plants at a time, with a maximum of 12 plants per household.
If you're a certified patient in the state's medical marijuana program, you can begin growing six months after the law takes effect -- provided that the Office of Cannabis Management has growing rules in place by then, which it will be legally required to do.
For recreational users, the wait will be longer: Growing can't begin until 18 months after the first legal sales at dispensaries or consumption sites, pushing it out into 2023 or 2024.
www.uticaod.com/story/news/2021/03/29/ny-marijuana-law-what-know-deal-legalize-adult-use/7044591002/
Some people in Utica are already walking down the street puffin on a joint. Passed three at the Bus Hub this PM. I hate the damn smell and I still believe it is a gateway drug which some weaker individuals will fall right into. Weed will be able to be smoked at any place a cigarettes' or cigar or pipe can be smoked. I wonder about people taking smoke breaks at work like they do now will weed be also allowed; its legal. And what about people bring edibles into work for you know break room. Now that be interesting.
Lastly how will this be monitored and the rules enforced! Will they! I also don't totally agree with how some of the revenue will be spent.
Oh well light up and have fun but not near me.....
