Marijuana Legalization Central to Cuomo's State of the State Address

Today, during his State of the State address, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo again re-emphasized marijuana legalization as a priority for this year's legislative session.

Statement from Melissa Moore, New York State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance and member of Start SMART NY Coalition (Sensible Marijuana Access through Regulated Trade):

"By including marijuana reform in today's State of the State address, Gov. Cuomo has signaled that this is a top priority in this year's legislative session. When it comes to responsibly regulating marijuana, it's critical that we don't just get this done, but we get it right. Equity must be the guiding force, and we will continue to work with the Governor's administration and legislative leaders to ensure any new law comprehensively addresses the harms to communities wrought by the war on drugs through dedicated community reinvestment. New Yorkers are more ready than ever to create a new paradigm for marijuana reform. Let's make 2021 the year for marijuana justice."

The Start SMART NY Coalition - which is comprised of organizations and advocates dedicated to criminal justice reform, civil rights, public health, and community-based organizations who support legalization - will continue to advocate that any legalization framework include provisions to reinvest tax revenues into communities harmed by cannabis criminalization, and looks forward to mobilizing to pass a bill rooted in marijuana justice in New York this session.