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New York – Last Wednesday, New York State Senator Liz Krueger join fellow elected officials and leading advocates on drug policy and criminal justice reform to announce her introduction of the New York State Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) at a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall.  The bill would end the criminalization of adults 18 years and older who possess up to two ounces of marijuana and would create a regulatory system allowing for the retail sale of marijuana to those over the age of 21, much like the current system for regulating alcohol. Recent polls show a majority of Americans now support taxing and regulating marijuana.

"I don't believe a drug that is proven to be less dangerous, from a health perspective, than alcohol or tobacco should be under laws that actually criminalize and ruin lives when alcohol or tobacco are regulated and taxed," said Krueger at a press conference on the steps of City Hall. “Prohibition of marijuana is a policy that just hasn’t worked, no matter how you look at it, and it’s time to have an honest conversation about what we should do next,” said Sen. Krueger. “The illegal marijuana economy is alive and well, and our unjust laws are branding nonviolent New Yorkers, especially young adults, as criminals, creating a vicious cycle that ruins lives and needlessly wastes taxpayer dollars. Worst of all, this system has resulted in a civil rights disaster: African Americans are dramatically more likely to be arrested for pot possession than whites, despite similar rates of marijuana use among both groups.”

 The legislation Sen. Krueger is filing today would regulate marijuana in a manner similar to New York’s current treatment of alcohol, and would empower the State Liquor Authority to act as the primary regulatory agency. In brief, the bill would remove penalties for possession of 2 ounces of marijuana or less; makes 18 the minimum legal age for marijuana possession and consumption; Establishes an excise tax of $50.00 per ounce of marijuana, and authorizes localities to charge a sales tax on retail sales; and directs a portion of the state tax revenue collected to be directed to re-entry programs, substance abuse programs, and job training programs in low-income, high-unemployment communities.

“I like what you're doing Senator Krueger, but $50 an ounce tax?  It's too much.  Legalizing it isn't enough.” Said Deniece Kinash of ‘The New York State Committee To Legalize Marijuana’. “You need to make it affordable.  It's a weed.  This is ridiculous.  Let people grow it.  Tax it at a flat rate of say... 15% per sale.  $50 an ounce tax is robbery.” Some other critics of legalized marijuana-use describe pot as part of a local drug abuse epidemic, a public health crisis.  Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence says legalizing marijuana would only deepen the crisis.

This legislation if passed would make New York the most populous state in the country to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana for general use.

“When you look around inner city neighborhoods, it is clear that the ‘War on Drugs’ in the context of marijuana has failed to do much more than incarcerate two generations of youth,” said Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn). “The massive amounts of money diverted to criminalizing and punishing marijuana users is money we should direct into afterschool programs, fully funding our children’s education, and youth development programs. Sen. Krueger’s bill, with a ‘local option’ based on existing State Liquor Authority law, is one way for us to abandon this broken paradigm and look for new solutions to drug use.”

“From decriminalizing marijuana possession and use, to creating regulatory taxes that will fund re-entry, substance abuse, job training and other rehabilitative programs, this comprehensive legislation represents a progressive step in a necessary direction,” said Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn), noting that 20 states and the District of Columbia now have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Montgomery, who is also the sponsor of a bill to legalize marijuana for medical use, noted that Senator Krueger’s proposal goes far to generate tax revenue and economic opportunities while reducing drug enforcement costs.

Governor Andres Cuomo’s office has already called Krueger’s bill a “non-starter.” If you disagree, feel free to call him at (518)474-8390

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