Legislative Memo: Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act

For decades, marijuana arrests have had a devastating and disproportionate impact on communities of color. Across the state, more than 80 percent of people arrested for marijuana possession are Black and Latinx.

New York has fallen behind as other states have recognized that the era of racist prohibition and criminalization must end. But while New York may not be the first to establish a legal cannabis industry, it can become the national model for the creation of a truly equitable industry by passing S.854 (Krueger) / A.1248 (Peoples-Stokes), the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (“MRTA”).