Tuesday, 21 May 2024

Campaign hopes to sway minority lawmakers in NY pot legalization push

An aggressive campaign is underway to persuade black and Hispanic state lawmakers to back the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York in the remaining months of the legislative session, sources told The Post.

With a backlash growing in the suburbs, minority lawmakers in New York City and other urban areas could be key in determining weed’s fate in the Empire State after some prominent black lawmakers played a role in blocking passage of a legalization bill in neighboring New Jersey last month.

A new group called We Rise to Legalize — run by the Rev. Al Sharpton disciple LaMon Bland — is working on wooing support in minority communities, along with its lobbying firm, Sunshine Sachs.

So is Sharpton and his National Action Network as well as The Black Institute, headed by long-time social justice activist Bertha Lewis.

“We are for legalization as long as there is criminal justice reform, including the expungement of criminal records [for possession and sale of marijuana], “ said Sharpton, who has spoken to both Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) about legalization.

Advocates are also calling for job and ownership opportunities in the cannabis industry from “seed to sale.”

Gov. Cuomo’s proposal allows counties to “opt-out” of selling marijuana — and executives in the state’s largest counties announced the areas would be weed-free zones — including neighboring Suffolk and Nassau counties, as well as Rockland and Putnam.

Concerns in the suburbs include an increase in traffic accidents from motorists driving while impaired by pot. That means nearly all the pot shops downstate will be in New York City, a double-edged sword that could bring burdens as well as benefits.

While public opinion polls show a majority of voters support legalization, opposition has intensified among law enforcement groups and the New York State Medical Society, the trade group for doctors, who worry about the impact of cannabis on developing young minds.

Bland said his group is pushing for a law legalizing weed that insures that revenues are targeted to communities ravaged by the war on drugs, with disproportionate number of arrests and prosecutions of black and Latinos on non-violent drug charges, including marijuana.

“We are making ourselves available to get legalization done. We believe it’s the right thing to do,” Bland said.

New York currently allows the sale of marijuana for medicinal purposes for patients with prescriptions at 40 sites across the state. But few are in minority communities, Bland said. He said the legalization of the recreational use of weed should also include an expansion of medical marijuana dispensaries in black and Latino communities.

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