12 APRIL 1, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Up to speed on legal weed
It took a global pandemic that exposed
great economic suff ering 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 COVIDTHE
EDITORIAL
HOT TOPIC
STORY:
Flushing Skyview Center seeks artists
to create artwork for digital displays
SUMMARY:
The Shops at Skyview Center in Flushing
is seeking local artists from the
New York metropolitan area to create
digital static image and video artwork
for two interior and exterior screens.
REACH:
4,714 (as of 03/29/21)
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ZACHARY GEWELB
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporters
ANGELICA ACEVEDO
JACOB KAYE
CARLOTTA MOHAMED
BILL PARRY
© 2020 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC.
General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, NY 11361
TELEPHONE: 1-718-260-4535
FAX: 1-718-224-5441
E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com
WEB SITE: www.qns.com
ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
FOR 110 YEARS
COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving
ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This
newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion
and only for that portion of the ad in which the error
appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make
sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection
Law or any other requirement. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is
Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member
Of The New York Press Association
Decriminalizing marijuana can help New York recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Blair Gable/REUTERS
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 shift s police resources
to other things and will help free thousands
of New Yorkers wrongly jailed for
minor off enses. A signifi cant 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 profi t 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 infl uence
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.
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.qns.com
link
/www.qns.com
link
