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A New York senator filed a bill to make it so that gay, lesbian and bisexual people can qualify as social equity applicants under the state\u2019s marijuana law.<\/p>\n
Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D) introduced the legislation last week, shortly after filing a separate bill to include transgender and non-binary people<\/a> in the cannabis social equity program. He\u2019s also behind other recent marijuana reform proposals related to cannabis business tax benefits and licensing.<\/p>\n New York legalized marijuana earlier this year<\/a>. Adults are currently able to possess and publicly consume cannabis<\/a>, but regulators are still working to implement retail sales. In the interim, Cooney is seeking to ensure that the equity provisions are even more inclusive.<\/p>\n \u201cI am proud to introduce legislation to include members of our lesbian, gay and bisexual community for priority licensure in the new adult-use recreational cannabis market,\u201d the senator told Marijuana Moment. \u201cWhen New York State legalized adult-use recreational marijuana we made a commitment to addressing the discrimination and injustice caused by the War on Drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSocial justice and social equity are embedded throughout the [Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act] and the legislation is designed to uplift historically marginalized groups through economic opportunities in the cannabis industry,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are committed to working to ensure we are meeting our equity licensing goals so that New York creates the most inclusive cannabis economy in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n The Roc City Cannabis Carnival, with over 90 WNY cannabis vendors, was a confident display of the up-and-coming opportunities available to all NYers in the new equitable and accessible cannabis market. #HydroInc<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/qZApFEXjiJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Senator Jeremy Cooney (@SenatorCooney) December 19, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Under the state\u2019s legalization law, at least 50 percent of marijuana business licenses must go to equity applicants. Right now, as enacted earlier this year, that category includes people \u201cfrom communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition,\u201d minority- and women-owned businesses, distressed farmers and service-disabled veterans.<\/p>\n \u201cThis state has recognized that discrimination on the basis on sexual orientation is a violation of human rights law,\u201d the justification section of the bill says. \u201cThe social equity aspect of the MRTA is meant to uplift historically marginalized groups through economic opportunities in the cannabis industry and this bill furthers that effort.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0legislation<\/a> has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee for consideration.<\/p>\n \u2014 The first licensed recreational marijuana retailers in New York\u00a0may actually be located on Indian territory<\/a>, with one tribe officially opening applications for prospective licensees in October.<\/p>\n In July, Cooney filed a bill to create a provisional marijuana licensing category<\/a> so that farmers could begin cultivating and selling cannabis ahead of the formal rollout of the adult-use program. The proposal has also been referred to the Senate Rules Committee.<\/p>\n Because the implementation process has been drawn out, however, one GOP senator wants to give local jurisdictions another year to decide\u00a0whether they will opt out of allowing marijuana businesses<\/a>\u00a0to operate in their area\u2014a proposal that advocates say is unnecessary and would create undue complications for the industry.<\/p>\n Cooney is also sponsoring a newly filed bill to allow licensed cannabis companies to deduct certain business expenses<\/a> on their state tax returns.<\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who replaced Andrew Cuomo after he resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal, has repeatedly emphasized her interest in efficiently implementing the legalization law<\/a>.<\/p>\n At a recent event, she touted the fact that\u00a0she had quickly made regulatory appointments<\/a>\u00a0that had been delayed under her predecessor. \u201cI believe there\u2019s thousands and thousands of jobs\u201d that could be created in the new industry, the governor said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, New York\u2019s Cannabis Control Board (CCB)\u00a0held its first meeting in October<\/a>, a key step toward implementing the state\u2019s adult-use marijuana program.<\/p>\n Members of the board, who were\u00a0appointed by the governor and legislative leaders<\/a>, announced that medical marijuana dispensaries will be allowed to sell flower cannabis products to qualified patients. The $50 registration fee for patients and caregivers was also permanently waived.<\/p>\n Last month, regulators also\u00a0approved rules for the state\u2019s cannabinoid hemp program<\/a>, notably clarifying that flower from the crop can be sold but delta-8 THC products are currently prohibited from being marketed.<\/p>\n Adding pressure to get the market up and running is the fact that regulators in neighboring New Jersey\u00a0recently released rules for its adult-use marijuana program<\/a>, which is being implemented after voters approved a legalization referendum last year.<\/p>\n The state comptroller recently projected that New York stands to eventually\u00a0generate $245 million in annual marijuana revenue<\/a>, which they say will help\u00a0offset losses from declining tobacco sales<\/a>.<\/p>\n For the first year of cannabis sales, the state is expected to see just $20 million in tax and fee collections. That will be part of an estimated $26.7 billion in new revenues that New York is expected to generate in fiscal year 2021-2022 under a budget that the legislature passed in April.<\/p>\n The state Department of Labor separately announced in new guidance that New York employers are no longer allowed to\u00a0drug test most workers for marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a New York lawmaker introduced a bill in June that would require the state to establish an institute to\u00a0research the therapeutic potential of psychedelics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another state legislator filed legislation last week to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for medical purposes<\/a> and establish facilities where the psychedelic could be grown and administered to patients.<\/p>\n Activists File Colorado Ballot Initiatives To Legalize Psychedelics And Establish \u2018Healing Center\u2019 Program<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Max Pixel<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post New York Senator Files Bill To Extend Marijuana Equity Benefits To Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual People<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A New York senator filed a bill to make it so that gay, lesbian and bisexual people can qualify as social equity applicants under the state\u2019s marijuana law. Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D) introduced the legislation last week, shortly after filing a separate bill to include transgender and non-binary people inContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":51858,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51857"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51857"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51859,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51857\/revisions\/51859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: New York Senator Files Bill To Extend Marijuana Equity Benefits To Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual People<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"