New York legalizes marijuana for recreational purposes among adults

NEW YORK – Lawmakers in New York have passed a bill to legalise adult use of marijuana and expunge the records of people previously convicted of possession, making it the 15th state in the United States to allow recreational use of the drug.

New York State Assembly voted 100-49 to pass the marijuana legalization bill and Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign the bill into law once it reaches his desk.

“New York has a storied history of being the progressive capital of the nation, and this important legislation will once again carry on that legacy,” he said in a statement.

"The legalization of marijuana is a racial and criminal justice imperative, and today's vote is a critical step towards a fairer and more just system," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.

"For too long, people of color have been disproportionately impacted by an outdated and shortsighted marijuana prohibition, and it's past time we right this wrong. We must also engineer an economy that will provide a much-needed boost to communities devastated by the war on drugs and COVID-19, and I am hopeful this will help to achieve that for New Yorkers," she added.

New York’s step was followed on Wednesday by Virginia, where Governor Ralph Northam proposed moving up the legalization of simple possession to July rather than wait until 2024.

Northam said racial disparities in prosecution of marijuana-related crimes prompted him to accelerate the timetable. He cited a report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission which found that Black residents were more than three times as likely to be arrested for possessing small amounts of the drug.

“Our Commonwealth is committed to legalizing marijuana in an equitable way,” Northam said in the statement.