The governor of New York on Tuesday revealed details of an amended budget plan to legalize marijuana, with new provisions to allow cannabis delivery services and a refined approach to penalties for unlawful sales. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) first announced he would be sending a revised version of his reform proposal to the legislature on Monday. The hope is these changes will satisfy lawmakers and advocates who took issue with several components of his original plan, which was filed last month. There are three main amendments: 1) allow marijuana deliveries, 2) lower penalties for selling cannabis to underage people or illegally selling large volumes of marijuana, and 3) create a new framework for how social equity grants are distributed. The governor said adding a delivery licensing option will open up opportunities to participate in the industry with a lower cost of entry. There would be a local opt-out option for individual jurisdiction to ban delivery services.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/16/2021 11:10:00