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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, AUG. 4, 2019
BY BILL PARRY
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
signed legislation Monday
morning further decriminalizing
marijuana use in
New York state — a move
praised by lawmakers as a
step to balance the scales
of criminal justice in the
borough.
The new law will reduce
the penalty for unlawful
possession of
marijuana to a violation
punishable by a fi ne, and
by creating a process for
individuals who have
been convicted for possessing
small amounts of
marijuana to have their
records expunged.
“Communities of color
have been disproportionately
impacted by laws
governing marijuana for
far too long, and today we
are ending this injustice
once and for all,” Cuomo
said. “By providing individuals
who have suffered
the consequences of an
unfair marijuana conviction
with a path to have
their records expunged
by reducing draconian
penalties, we are taking
a critical step forward in
addressing a broken and
discriminatory criminal
justice process.”
Cuomo fi rst proposed
the further decriminalization
of marijuana in
2013, and again in the 2020
budget. The bill will take
effect in 30 days.
“This law is an important
step in righting
decades of injustice
caused by the state’s current
drug laws. Decriminalizing
marijuana and
expunging records for
those with low level offenses
will go a long way
towards helping our communities,
and especially
people of color, who
have been devastated by
them,” Assembly Speaker
Carl Heastie said. “By removing
the barriers and
stigma that come with
these records, we clear
the path for many New
Yorkers to find a job,
housing and go on to live
successful and productive
lives.”
Queens Councilman
Rory Lancman, the chair
of the Committee on the
Justice System, had declared
in June 2018 that,
“No one should ever be
arrested for smoking
marijuana, period.” He
applauded the Cuomo
signing.
“Marijuana enforcement
has unjustly targeted
brown and black
New Yorkers, and decriminalizing
marijuana use is
a meaningful step forward
that will keep thousands
of people out of our criminal
justice system,” Lancman
said. “I thank Gov.
Cuomo and the legislature
for making this important
progress, and working to
right the wrongs of the
past.”
The Legal Aid Society
says Cuomo enacting marijuana
decriminalization
into law does not go far
enough.
“While in some regards
this legislation is
a step forward, including
its automatic expungement
of low-level marijuana
charges, it still fails
to address the radically
disparate enforcement
of marijuana possession
laws or any of the collateral
consequences created
by marijuana prohibition
that almost exclusively
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will further decriminalize
marijuana use in New York state. Getty Images
affect black and Latinx
communities,” The Legal
Aid Society Staff Attorney
Emma Goodman said.
“Under this statute, for basic
marijuana possession,
our clients will continue
to face parole and probation
violations, continue
to live in fear of immigration
detention and deportation,
and continue to be
at risk of being separated
from their family by an
adult or child protective
agency.”
In conclusion, Goodman
said, “All of the collateral
consequences of
marijuana criminalization
that harm communities
of color will continue
to exist. We hope that
next year Albany finally
enacts the Marijuana
Regulation and Taxation
Act, legislation that will
address these historic
problems that continue
to plague our clients and
other New Yorkers of
color on a daily basis.”
Weed all about it: Cuomo
decriminalizes marijuana