Legal Marijuana In New York Gets More Support

NEW YORK, NY — A top New York City official joined a chorus of calls Tuesday for legalizing marijuana across the state. Public Advocate Letitia James said New York should join the nine other states that have made the drug legal for recreational use.

But it's about more than just lighting up — James said legalization should include provisions to purge New Yorkers' criminal records of marijuana convictions and give people of color a fair share in any future legal pot industry.

"I look at this through the lens of reinvesting in communities that have historically been ignored, and I look at this through the lens of young black and Latino men whose lives unfortunately have been impacted disproportionately as a result of possessing low levels of marijuana," she said.

New York has taken recent steps toward legalizing marijuana after years of calls from advocates. Gov. Andrew Cuomo commissioned a study of legalization earlier this year, while his Democratic primary challenger, the actor Cynthia Nixon, said the state should do the deed already.

Echoing Nixon, James said legalization would cut off an arm of the "war on drugs" that's come down hard on people of color. About 86 percent of New Yorkers arrested for low-level marijuana possession last year were black or hispanic, despite the fact that ethnic groups use the drug at similar rates.

The states where pot is legal have seen millions of dollars in extra tax revenue and saved even more by putting fewer people through the criminal justice system, James said.

But plain legalization isn't enough, she said. The state should also offer people convicted of marijuana offenses a chance to seal or expunge those convictions because they can have lifelong consequences, James said.

There should also be provisions giving black and brown New Yorkers a crack at investment and employment in the pot industry, James said. Some 81 percent of all owners and founders of marijuana firms are white, while just 10 percent are black, Hispanic or Latino, according to Marijuana Business Daily.

"We must ensure that those in the community most impacted by over-enforcement are given the opportunity to benefit and thrive, not just out-of-state companies and big corporations," James said.

James praised Cuomo for studying the issue but slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio for being a stick in the mud, even though neither of the warring pols has fully endorsed legal recreational marijuana.

"I don't see how you can call yourself someone progressive, the leader of the City of New York, and not come out or at least consider the prospect of legalizing marijuana, given the adverse impacts on communities of color," James said.

De Blasio said he's concerned about a "corporatized" marijuana industry hooking young people to the drug. He also has questions about how legalization would affect crime and taxation, but said he'd be open to it if studies of other states found it's a good thing.

"I think you can be a very good progressive and really have those concerns," de Blasio said at an unrelated news conference Tuesday.

(Lead image: Photo by Tunatura/Shutterstock)