UP TO SPEED ON
LEGAL WEED
It took a global pandemic that exposed great economic
suffering and inequality in New York for the Empire
State to fully legalize marijuana.
State lawmakers and embattled Governor Andrew
Cuomo announced an agreement last weekend
and the New York state Legislature on Tuesday passed
a bill legalizing recreational use of marijuana for adults
ages 21 and older, setting up an outline for how this dramatic
change will work for the state, the economy and
its people.
For years now, medicinal marijuana has been legal
in New York — though it’s been speculated that the
main reason why recreational use wasn’t permitted
earlier was not due to health concerns, but rather because
no government wants to green-light a new drug
industry, even if the cash injections of taxing this drug
would be gargantuan. Obviously, there’s new momentum
behind Cuomo’s plan. The state is thinking green
here — as in dollar bills, not marijuana leaves.
Although the American Rescue Plan has been received
favorably, states have bled so much money during
the COVID-19 pandemic that every taxable industry
conceivable should be fully annexed, lest our essential
services go up in smoke.
We want to recover better, faster and stronger. Decriminalizing
marijuana helps accomplish that goal on
a variety of levels.
Legalization shifts police resources to other things
and will help free thousands of New Yorkers wrongly
jailed for minor offenses. A significant excise tax for
marijuana purchases will pump billions of dollars in
new cash into the state economy over the next decade.
Moreover, the approved plan also incorporates the
desire for weed-seller licenses to go to women and minority
populations. Let’s be honest: an ounce of the
green stuff is going to rake in a hell of a lot more profit
that the gumball mom-and-pops of yore. There’s great
economic opportunity here that cannot be wasted.
Public safety questions abound, and perhaps the biggest
concern is for the streets. How will police be able to
stop drivers who are under the influence of marijuana
from getting behind the wheel?
The plans call for a research study to develop better
methodologies to detect cannabis-impaired drivers,
and additional funding for drug recognition and law
enforcement experts to help keep the streets safe. But
with those questions unanswered, there will likely be
inconsistent policing and enforcement of the rules.
While it’s high time for marijuana to be legalized in
New York, there is much to do to ensure its legalization
works out for the best.
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | Q 12 NS.COM | APRIL 2-APRIL 8, 2021
SUPPORT LOCAL RESTAURANTS
What a great way to welcome
spring! “NYC restaurants
can open for indoor dining
at 50 percent capacity”
(Mark Hallum — March 18).
As more and more of us receive
our COVID-19 vaccines, it is now
easier and safer to patronize our
neighborhood restaurants.
My wife and I don’t mind paying
a little more to help our favorite
restaurants survive. Don’t
forget your cook and server. We
try to tip 20 to 25 percent against
the total bill including taxes. If it
is an odd amount, we round up to
the next dollar.
Let’s hope that many of the NYC
restaurant workers whose livelihood
was impacted by the COVID-
19 pandemic will be rehired. This
includes bartenders, waiters, bus
boys, cooks and cashiers.
Wholesale food sellers, distributors
and linen suppliers have
also been affected, along with construction
contractors and their
employees, who renovate or build
new restaurants.
Our entrepreneurs who have
been lucky enough to remain open
continue to work long hours, pay
taxes and provide local employment
opportunities.
If we don’t resume patronizing
these establishments, they don’t
eat either.
Larry Penner,
Great Neck
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EDITORIAL
Decriminalizing marijuana can help New York recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Blair Gable/REUTERS
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