Cuomo Vows To Legalize Marijuana In 2020

NEW YORK CITY — New York will legalize weed in 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed during his 2020 New York State of the State address.

"Our economic growth would be a hollow victory if we did not continue our social progress," the Democratic governor said in Albany Wednesday.

"Let's legalize adult use of marijuana."

Cuomo's pledge was met with a spattering of applause from state lawmakers who tried and failed to legalize adult marijuana use with the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in the summer of 2019, after months of negotiations.

The bill, sponsored by Manhattan state Sen. Liz Krueger, still sits in committee after disagreements arose over what to do with weed tax revenue and opt-out options for local governments.

Cuomo said he considered it an ethical imperative to legalize the drug, but applauded the passing of decriminalization, which makes it a violation — not a crime — to possess less than 2 ounces of marijuana.

"For decades, community of color were disproportionately affected by unequal enforcement of marijuana laws," said Cuomo. "We righted that injustice when we decriminalized possession."

The Democratic governor first endorsed the legalization of marijuana in December 2018, but legalization law did not make it into the 2019 state budget.

Cuomo said he hopes to work with neighbor states Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to create and coordinate a "safe and fair system" to legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21.

In his address, Cuomo also called for the State University of New York to form a cannabis and hemp research center, "so New York can lead the way."

Eleven states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, among them Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts on the East Coast.