In this Aug. 22, 2019, file photo, Nate McDonald, General Manager of Curaleaf NY operations, talks about medical marijuana plants during a media tour of the Curaleaf medical cannabis cultivation and processing facility, in Ravena, N.Y. New Yorkers can now possess and use up to 3 ounces of cannabis under a legalization bill signed Wednesday, March 31, 2021, by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while sales of recreational-use marijuana won t become legal for an estimated 18 months until the state draws up regulations. AP Photo/Hans Pennink
New York adults over the age of 21 can now possess and use marijuana – even in public – under a legalization bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, though legal sales of recreational-use cannabis won’t start for an estimated 18 months until regulations are set.
AP Photo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
New Yorkers can now possess and use up to 3 ounces of cannabis under a legalization bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while sales of recreational-use marijuana won’t become legal for an estimated 18 months until the state draws up regulations.
Advocates for criminal justice reform hope it will also help redress the inequities of a system that has locked up people of color for marijuana offenses at disproportionate rates. The legislation provides protections for cannabis users in the workplace, housing, family court and in schools, colleges and universities, and sets a target of providing half of marijuana licenses to individuals from underrepresented communities.
New York Legalizes Adult-Use Cannabis
After years of debate, sudden and swift action in the legislature makes New York the 17th state to legalize adult-use cannabis.
This is a developing story. We have updated this story to reflect the governor s signing of the bill.
Following quick votes in Senate and Assembly committees Tuesday evening, the New York legislature passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act and sent it to Gov. Andrew Cuomo who has signed it into law and made New York the 17th state to legalize adult-use cannabis.
The law will go into effect immediately, as of Cuomo’s signing, but the actual marketplace is expected to take upwards of two years to develop before sales are open to the eligible public.
click to enlarge There are 12.3 million women-owned businesses in the US and there are 114 percent more female entrepreneurs than there were 20 years ago. Women have been starting their own companies in ever greater numbers, and 40 percent of US businesses are women-owned. These national statistics are reflected in the Hudson Valley business scene, which is driven by innovative female entrepreneurship across all sectors of the economy. We talked with some of the region s business leaders on how they get it done, from the boardroom to the storefront.
Listening to Your Gut
For 20 years, Kate Bradley Chernis worked as a radio DJ and had more than 20 million daily listeners. Then a dream career turned into a nightmare. Fed up with the boys club, hostile work environment, sexual harassment and gaslighting, she knew it was time to leave when the job affected her health. I had a rash on my torso that no one could explain, and I developed epicondylitis and tendonitis t