Weed Could Soon Be Delivered Right To Your Door in New York

We can get groceries and even alcohol delivered. Why not weed? Marijuana deliveries could soon be coming to your door if the Governor gets his way.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced delivery services for marijuana in his latest amended pot proposal, hoping to rebuild New York's economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marijuana legalization is projected to create more than 60,000 new jobs, and spur $3.5 billion in economic activity while generating an estimated $350 million in tax revenue once fully implemented.

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The Governor is amending his proposal to allow for delivery services as a way to open up access to this new industry even further so more New Yorkers can participate as it grows. Local governments would have the opportunity to opt out from delivery services occurring within their jurisdiction.

"As we work to reimagine, rebuild and reopen New York, we're taking every opportunity to address and correct decades of institutional wrongs to build back better than ever before," Governor Cuomo said. "We know that you cannot overcome a problem without first admitting there is one. Our comprehensive approach to legalizing and regulating the adult-use cannabis market provides the opportunity to generate much-needed revenue, but it also enables us to directly support the communities most impacted by the war on drugs by creating equity and jobs at every level, in every community in our great state."

The Governor's proposal includes a $100 million dollar fund to help revitalize communities that have been most harmed by the war on drugs. Through this fund, qualified community-based nonprofit organizations and local governments would apply for funding to support a number of different community revitalization efforts, including, but not limited to:

• Job placement and skills services
• Adult education
• Mental health treatment
• Substance use disorder treatment
• Housing
• Financial literacy
• Community banking
• Nutrition services
• Services to address adverse childhood experiences
• Afterschool and child care services, system navigation services
• Legal services to address barriers to reentry
• Linkages to medical care, women's health services and other community-based supportive services
  The grants from this program may also be used to further support the social and economic equity program

In 2019, Governor Cuomo signed legislation to decriminalize the penalties for unlawful possession of marijuana. The legislation also put forth a process to expunge records for certain marijuana convictions. Later that year, the Governor spearheaded a multi-state summit to discuss paths towards legalization of adult-use cannabis that would ensure public health and safety and coordinate programs regionally to minimize the cross-border movement of cannabis products.