When will marijuana be legal in New York? How will it be implemented?

An advisory board set up by Governor Andrew Cuomo has been meeting since August to form a bill to present before the state legislature to pass the use of recreational marijuana. The work group will meet twice more in October and November to complete the bill. 

Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes says the target is to have the bill complete by January during the budget process. If all goes as planned, the bill could be passed by as early as 2019, although it would take at least an additional year to be set up and regulated. 

“Not every state has implemented recreational cannabis in the same way, some have made mistakes in how they implemented it. And so we can look at best practices and look at consequences," R. Lorraine Collins said, member of the board and Associate Dean for Research at the University at Buffalo. "I think it really important to understand is that we’re talking about a really complicated plant.”

She says it's been mutually agreed upon to set the purchase and usage age of recreational marijuana at 21 to avoid confusion with the alcohol consumption age. 

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