Photographer: Galit Rodan / Bloomberg
Photographer: Galit Rodan / Bloomberg
New York is ready to legalize recreational marijuana. The state would impose special taxes on the legs and prepare to license dispensaries under an agreement reached by Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders.
“I understand that the three-way agreement has been reached and that the drafting of bills is in the process of ending a bill that we have all said we support,” he told the Bloomberg government on Wednesday. chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Liz Krueger.
Cannabis use would be legal for adults 21 years of age or older.
The agreement the legislative leaders negotiated with Cuomo (D) requires a 13% sales tax, 9% of which would go to the state and 4% to localities, Krueger said. In addition, distributors would charge a special tax of up to 3 cents per milligram of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, on a variable scale depending on the type of product and its potency.
The governor’s office estimates that a legal cannabis program could get about $ 350 million a year once fully implemented.
Cuomo said Wednesday earlier that they were on the verge of an agreement to legalize marijuana and that it is one of their budget priorities. Krueger said he expects lawmakers to vote on the measure as early as next week, off budget.