By Shanel Dawson New York City PUBLISHED 11:39 PM ET Mar. 31, 2021 PUBLISHED March 31, 2021 @11:39 PM
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Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday morning signed the bill to legalize recreational marijuana in New York. According to the new law, New Yorkers ages 21 and older can now legally possess cannabis and consume it in public, wherever smoking tobacco is allowed. New Yorkers will also have permission to grow small quantities of marijuana at home.
But opponents of the initiative have long cautioned against the legalization of marijuana, claiming it could increase rates of substance abuse and impaired driving. They ve also argued that legalization could make the drug more accessible to children and teenagers, whose brains are especially vulnerable to cannabis, according to some studies.