Today in the world of cannabis: The New York governor approves a statewide recreational cannabis legalization bill, more White House staffers are reportedly denied employment due to past cannabis use, and the White House press secretary reaffirms the Biden administration’s antiquated stance on cannabis legalization.
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** This is no April fools joke! First up: In a report by the Huffington Post, just hours after it reached their desk, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) signed a measure into legislation permitting adults in New York state to buy and consume recreational cannabis.
The landmark legislation allows adults 21 years of age or older to purchase recreational cannabis and creates a permit system for cannabis delivery to consumers. For personal usage, New Yorkers will be able to grow up to six cannabis plants at home.
On Tuesday, the Democrat-controlled state Senate and Assembly approved the measure for the first time. While the legislation takes effect immediately, the retail sale of recreational cannabis will take roughly two years to enact, with a 9% sales tax on cannabis and an extra 4% tax distributed between county and city governments.
The legislation is anticipated to deliver about $350 million a year to the state and generate thousands of jobs. Past cannabis charges will be expunged, and a substantial portion of cannabis tax proceeds will be allocated for community reinvestment initiatives.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ny-marijuana-legalization-weed_n_606485abc5b6d5b7a694e453
** And next: Politico reports that while White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said recently that “of the hundreds of people hired” by the Biden administration “only five people who had started working… are no longer employed” as a result of discovered past cannabis use, according to reports, that statement may not tell the full story.
While the Biden administration has said that its goal is to decriminalize cannabis use on a national level, sources privy to the situation claim that several other personnel had been informed they had White House jobs only to have the positions revoked before they formally started to work.
The situation reportedly goes beyond the executive branch. Applicants who have used cannabis in the past have been penalized by different agencies in the Biden administration, which have individual employment policies. Democrat colleagues argue that the administration’s overall policy is outdated and unnecessarily restrictive.
“The White House and the administration have made this a godawful process,” said a senior Democratic campaign official who knows several federal employees who have been refused clearance for positions in different agencies. “I know a lot of these people who worked their ass off for him to get him elected in the middle of the pandemic who are now unemployed.”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook/2021/03/30/high-times-at-1600-penn-492299
** Last up: In a report by Marijuana Moment, this week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden’s position on cannabis legalization “has not changed.”
When asked if President Biden supports Democratic legislators’ attempts to repeal federal cannabis prohibition, Psaki stated that Biden “spoke about this on the campaign” and that he “believes in decriminalizing the use of marijuana, but his position has not changed” on more comprehensive policy reform.
Psaki appears to be implying that Biden may oppose the proposal being prepared by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Although the verbiage of the proposal has yet to be revealed, it is expected to deschedule cannabis at the federal level. Concurrently, Biden supports decriminalizing cannabis use, legalizing medical cannabis, expunging previous cannabis convictions, and allowing states to set their separate laws.
In a statement to Marijuana Moment, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), said that the “federal government has completely screwed up marijuana reform.”
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/bidens-opposition-to-marijuana-legalization-has-not-changed-press-secretary-says/
