{"id":56113,"date":"2022-07-25T09:54:28","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T17:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/07\/25\/schumer-helps-launch-marijuana-equity-initiative-in-new-york-after-filing-federal-legalization-bill\/"},"modified":"2022-07-25T20:45:37","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T04:45:37","slug":"schumer-helps-launch-marijuana-equity-initiative-in-new-york-after-filing-federal-legalization-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/07\/25\/schumer-helps-launch-marijuana-equity-initiative-in-new-york-after-filing-federal-legalization-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Schumer Helps Launch Marijuana Equity Initiative In New York After Filing Federal Legalization Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Days after filing a much-anticipated federal marijuana legalization bill<\/a>, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) joined advocates and community leaders in New York City on Sunday to launch a new cannabis resource center that\u2019s meant to promote equity in the state\u2019s marijuana market.<\/p>\n

The leader said that New York\u2019s cannabis law, and its equity components in particular, should serve as a model for the rest of the country. But while the state\u2019s reform move is a positive step, he stressed the need for a federal policy change in order to most effectively achieve social justice.<\/p>\n

To that end, there is overlap between the legalization law that New York enacted and his new legislation to end prohibition, Schumer said. Specifically, while both would stop cannabis criminalization, they were also crafted in a way that attempts to help people who have been disproportionately impacted by the drug war.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying at the federal level to mimic what New York has done\u2014not just in legalization and ending criminalization but making sure social justice is an essential part of any legislation,\u201d Schumer said at the event, adding that he and colleagues are \u201cmaking some progress\u201d in building bipartisan buy-in on marijuana reform from \u201cconservative Republicans and libertarians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone in the audience picked up on that point and said \u201cthey all smoke too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughter ensued across the room, with Schumer nodding his head and saying, \u201cYeah, they smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch Schumer\u2019s marijuana comments in the video below, courtesy of Tanya Osborne:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nHe also said pointed out that New York has a history of taking the lead on policies like labor and welfare reform, and the federal government has often followed suit. The state could similarly help usher in a new era of federal cannabis policy, he said.<\/p>\n

New York regulators are now actively working to implement rules and start licensing retailers by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Schumer\u2019s bill, for its part, has been introduced on Capitol Hill, but there\u2019s sizable skepticism about its prospects of passing in the Senate with its 60-vote threshold. For now, the leader is highlighting the more than a year of work that went into drafting the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA).<\/p>\n

The Bronx Cannabis Hub is an initiative that\u2019s being spearheaded by the Bronx Community Foundation and Bronx Defenders. It will serve as a center where people can learn about the state\u2019s marijuana law, get assistance with filling out licensing applications and also receive legal aid.<\/p>\n

\n

This week\u2014we introduced our bill to end the federal cannabis prohibition & make criminal justice reforms<\/p>\n

Today\u2014I\u2019m standing with @BronxDefenders<\/a> at The Bronx Cannabis Hub<\/p>\n

The hub will catalyze new cannabis entrepreneurs in a borough that bore the injustices of the War on Drugs pic.twitter.com\/QY68ftQc9z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u201cThis great Cannabis Hub will become a model\u2014not just for New York City, not just for New York State, but let there be hubs like this throughout the country,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n

The Bronx Cannabis Hub is designed to further those objectives. And it may come in especially useful in the coming weeks as regulators prepare to open applications for retail licenses<\/a> for people who have been adversely impacted by marijuana criminalization.<\/p>\n

The newly approved licensing rules for those retailers build on Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approvals of numerous conditional cultivator applications, which are being granted to existing hemp businesses in the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a bill to create the conditional cultivation licenses<\/a>\u00a0in February.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Schumer has consistently embraced the state\u2019s cannabis industry, even as federal reform as stalled in Congress. He visited a hemp farm in 2019<\/a>, for example, and talked about the need for clarity on federal financial rules for the legal crop.<\/p>\n

As it stands, adults 21 and older can\u00a0possess and publicly consume cannabis<\/a> in New York, as well as gift marijuana to other adults as long as they aren\u2019t being compensated.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMRTA is not just about ending criminalization, but ensuring that people who were harmed are recompensed before big businesses or big banks. It ensures that social justice is a part of any legislation we pass.\u201d\u2014@SenSchumer<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1S6twlvrwK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Bronx Cannabis Hub (@bxcannabishub) July 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Last month, CCB also\u00a0approved a series of proposed rules<\/a>\u00a0for marijuana packaging, labeling, advertising and testing requirements.<\/p>\n

During April\u2019s CCB meeting, regulators also approved revised regulations to allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own plants for personal use following a public comment period on initial rules that were proposed last year.<\/p>\n

In general, the rule would allow registered patients and caregivers to grow up to six plants, only three of which could be mature. They could possess up to five pounds of cannabis derived from those plants, which is consistent with the state\u2019s adult-use legalization law.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, New York lawmakers recently sent a budget proposal to the governor\u2019s desk that includes provisions to\u00a0let marijuana businesses take state tax deductions<\/a>\u00a0that are available to other industries despite an ongoing federal ban on cannabis. That was signed into law.<\/p>\n

Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D)\u00a0filed a standalone bill in December<\/a>\u00a0seeking a similar carve-out for the state\u2019s burgeoning cannabis market. Assemblymember Donna Lupardo (D) followed suit in her chamber. Cooney also filed a bill in May to allow regulators to\u00a0disclose certain information about cannabis licensees<\/a>\u00a0to financial institutions to promote marijuana banking.<\/p>\n

Hochul has repeatedly emphasized her interest in\u00a0efficiently implementing the legalization law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The governor released a State of the State book in January that called for\u00a0the creation of a $200 million public-private fund<\/a>\u00a0to specifically help promote social equity in the state\u2019s burgeoning marijuana market.<\/p>\n

That proposal was\u00a0also cited in the governor\u2019s executive budget<\/a>, which was released in January. The budget also estimated that New York stands to generate more than $1.25 billion in marijuana tax revenue over the next six years.<\/p>\n

Hochul said that while cannabis business licenses have yet to be approved since legalization was signed into law last year, the market stands to generate billions of dollars, and it\u2019s important to \u201ccreate opportunities for all New Yorkers, particularly those from historically marginalized communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has also been putting out PSAs to promote public education about the marijuana policy change<\/a>, including a first-of-its-kind taxpayer-funded marijuana ad that aired in most of New York during an NBA Finals game last month. The PSA boldly addressed the racially discriminatory harms of cannabis criminalization and highlighted steps that state regulators are taking to right the wrongs of prohibition.<\/p>\n

CCB also wants the opportunity to showcase its marijuana PSA campaign on the social media app TikTok, but it was told by the company previously that it could not use the platform because of its existing ban on the use of the word \u201ccannabis.\u201d The department\u00a0recently sent a letter to TikTok<\/a>, requesting a policy change for government marijuana-related ads that concern public education.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back on Capitol Hill, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee chaired by COAO sponsor Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is scheduled to hold a hearing on Tuesday to discuss federal cannabis reform, and the newly filed legislation is expected to be a focal point.<\/p>\n

Witnesses who are set to testify before the panel<\/a> include a former federal marijuana prisoner and anti-cannabis author Alex Berenson.<\/p>\n

\n

Senators Pick Former Marijuana Prisoner, Anti-Cannabis Alex Berenson And More To Testify At Reform Hearing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Schumer Helps Launch Marijuana Equity Initiative In New York After Filing Federal Legalization Bill<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Schumer Helps Launch Marijuana Equity Initiative In New York After Filing Federal Legalization Bill<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days after filing a much-anticipated federal marijuana legalization bill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) joined advocates and community leaders in New York City on Sunday to launch a new cannabis resource center that\u2019s meant to promote equity in the state\u2019s marijuana market. The leader said that New York\u2019s cannabisContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56113"}],"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=56113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56114,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56113\/revisions\/56114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}