NEW YORK — New York lawmakers are “really, really close” to legalizing adult recreational marijuana usage, including a limited number of homegrown plants, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Tuesday.
Now the state could be just days away from legalizing recreational marijuana, if Albany Democrats succeed in passing a bill next week.
Sticking points about driving while under the influence and impacts on traffic safety had been recently holding up negotiations, but they have since been worked out, Stewart-Cousins said.
New York would join a dozen U.S. states that have already made it state law.
The move comes at a time when the state is desperate for cash in the wake of pandemic economic devastation. It’s estimated that legal weed could bring in an estimated $350 million annually in taxes.
Democrats, who control both the Senate and Assembly, overwhelmingly support it, while Gov. Andrew Cuomo has supported the legalization for several years.
