The New York State Democratic Party plans to pass a resolution at its May 23-24 convention to support cannabis legalization, according to a draft of the documents obtained by the New York Post. The document indicates the party wants to highlight the reforms during the convention.
Cuomo, the de facto leader of the New York Democrats, has only recently appeared to soften on his cannabis position after years of calling it a gateway drug. Last month, during a campaign stop in Brooklyn, he admitted that “the situation has changed dramatically” on legal cannabis.
“You have states that have legalized it now…. It is no longer a question of legal or illegal. It’s legal in Massachusetts. It may be legal in New Jersey. Which means for all intents and purposes it’s going to be here anyway.” – Cuomo, Apr. 15 in Brooklyn, via the New York Post
Cuomo’s primary challenger, former “Sex and the City” actress Cynthia Nixon, published a Facebook video four days before Cuomo’s comments in Brooklyn, supporting cannabis legalization as a means to reaching some social justice equity.
“In 2018, in a blue state like New York, marijuana shouldn’t even be an issue. If there was more political courage coming out of Albany we would have done this already. The simple truth is: for white people the use of marijuana has effectively been legal for a long time. Isn’t it time we legalize it for everyone else?” – Nixon in the Apr. 11 video
A Democratic Party insider told the Post that Cuomo “is OK” with adding legalization to the party agenda for approval.
New York lawmakers are expected to release a Cuomo-backed cannabis legalization implementation report sometime before the end of the year.
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