It’s been five months since former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) but little headway has been made on adult-use cannabis legalization. Kathy Hochul, who became New York’s first female governor last week—after Cuomo resigned following months of sexual harassment allegations—plans to change all that by jumpstarting the state’s legal cannabis market through nominating appointees to the state’s management office and control board. During a press conference Tuesday evening, Gov. Hochul called for a special session of the New York Legislature to begin at noon Sept. 1. The session will deal with freeing up the state’s “long overdue” cannabis program, as well as addressing the state’s rent and eviction crisis, she said. It will also address the state’s Open Meetings Law to allow more access to meetings.
Posted Melissa Schiller, Cannabis Business Times, 09/01/2021 00:35:00