CNN
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The first public sale of regulated cannabis in New York began at 4:20 p.m. Thursday at a pharmacy in Manhattan’s East Village, hours after the first sale to city officials took place. New York Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement.
Housing Works Cannabis Company began operations as the first licensed pharmacy in the state.
Hochul said the clinic is run by Housing Works, a non-profit organization that serves people living with HIV/AIDS and those who are homeless and formerly incarcerated. The store will be open 24/7, with all proceeds going to Housing Works, which operates a “network of charitable retailers,” according to the release.
“By prioritizing equity, we set a course just nine months ago to get the adult cannabis market in New York off to a good start – and we are now achieving that goal.”
The measure seeks to address racial disparities in cannabis-related arrests through social and economic equality programs to “promote individuals disproportionately affected by cannabis enforcement,” the city said. officials said.
The program “sets a goal of providing 50% of licenses to minority- or women-owned businesses or to distressed farmers or service-disabled veterans to encourage participation in the industry.” A city news release said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Thursday, “Today marks an important milestone in our efforts to create the fairest cannabis industry in the country.
“A legal cannabis market could be a huge boon to New York’s economic recovery, creating new jobs, building wealth in historically underserved communities, and increasing state and local tax revenues. Increase,” Adams said.
In March 2021, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill allowing recreational marijuana use statewide by adults 21 and older after the state Senate and Congress voted to approve the bill. Did. New York’s Cannabis/Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act also expunges previous marijuana convictions for actions that would be legal under the new law.
The bill allows adults over the age of 21 to purchase cannabis from licensed sellers. Adults can also hold up to 3 ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of cannabis concentrate. Eighteen months after her initial sale, the law will allow adults to grow six of her mature plants and six of her immature plants at home per her household.
It will also establish a separate office, the Cannabis Control Authority, to operate as part of the New York State Liquor Authority to implement the regulatory framework. The office was designed with his two-tier licensing structure separating producers and processors from retail owners, Cuomo’s office had previously said.
The law also adds a 13% tax on retail sales for state and local tax revenues.
The development of a regulated cannabis industry in New York could create 30,000 to 60,000 jobs, with the potential to earn $350 million a year in taxes, CNN previously reported.
The New York Cannabis Control Board issued the first 36 adult-use retail licenses on Nov. 21, according to Ho-chul’s office.
Housing Works received over 2,000 responses to their invitation to RSVP for the grand opening. Housing Factory CEO Charles King told CNN Thursday that the nonprofit wants to open a total of three marijuana dispensaries in Manhattan by the end of 2023. I think.
“I don’t know if we can actually serve everyone within three hours of opening,” King said. “People are enthusiastic.”
New York State contracts with various labs to test all cannabis products sold for adult recreational use, King said. The biggest challenge, he adds, was finding enough products to sell.
Patrons must present state or federal identification to purchase at the pharmacy.
“Regulations require that everyone entering the store be issued a card to verify that they are over the age of 21 and provide documentation proving that the card was actually issued.” Mr King said.
A federal ban on marijuana hasn’t slowed down one of the fastest growing industries in the United States.More than two-thirds of U.S. states have legalized cannabis to some extent. California was the first to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. Since then, 39 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical use. Recreational cannabis use is legal in DC and 21 states.
Bills to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri and Maryland passed in the 2022 midterm elections. That’s because there’s a growing nationwide push to eliminate the penalties once associated with cannabis.
An October poll by the Pew Research Center found that 59% of adults believe marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, and 30% think it should be legal only for medical purposes. I think so. However, the survey found that only 10% of adults say marijuana use shouldn’t be legal.
In October, President Joe Biden took the first significant step by a U.S. president to eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana possession by pardoning all previous federal crimes for simple marijuana possession. .
Biden also ordered the Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General Merrick Garland to “promptly” review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
New York’s bill follows marijuana legalization in neighboring New Jersey. In February 2021, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy legalized and regulated marijuana use for those 21 and older, decriminalized possession of limited amounts of marijuana, and banned the use and possession of marijuana and cannabis for those under 21. signed a bill clarifying the penalties for
A study by the American Civil Liberties Union found that there is a large racial disparity in marijuana-related arrests across the United States.
In its 2020 report, the ACLU said, “On average, blacks are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, even though blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates.”
“In all states, black people were more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, and in some states, black people were up to six, eight, or nearly ten times more likely to be arrested,” it reported. the book says.
Policy makers and industry players must not lose sight of how individuals, especially people of color, continue to be criminalized for activities that are now legalized at the state level, he said. Amber Littlejohn, CEO of the Cannabis Business Association, previously told CNN.
“First and foremost, we need to get people out of prison and stop arresting people for doing things that make them big bucks,” said Littlejohn.
People of color also face tremendous barriers operating within the industry. Attempts have been made to make way into the industry for those with non-violent marijuana beliefs and whose communities have been adversely affected by the war on drugs. Littlejohn says it has had little success because of state policies that fail to provide the race with financial and business resources and benefit more well-financed multistate operators.
“I think one of the biggest problems is that there seems to be an incredible disconnect between what people say they support and believe and what they believe. [becomes law]”It’s up to us, the collective, to hold people accountable,” she said.
