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Two years after cannabis legalization in New York, where is the justice for the Black and Latino communities that were, and are still, harmed by years of cannabis criminalization and mass incarceration?
When New York released the framework for adult-use cannabis legalization two years ago, cheers could be heard from legacy and impacted communities. It was as if Madison Square Garden was full of underground and gray-market cannabis pioneers, and a standing ovation was tearing the roof off the place. The state had bravely put restorative justice at the center of its framework in ways no other state had done.
People most harmed by the war on weed would get the first chance at licenses and enough financial support from the state to go to market. New York was determined to disrupt the oligarchies and monopolies seen in many other states dominated by multi-state operators. It appeared state regulators had learned from failed frameworks in other places and were getting solid advice from experienced advisors.
Many of us have been calling on leaders in California for years to absorb the legacy market with good public policy or risk having a dual market (one legal, one underground). California didn’t listen but New York seemed to get it.
Two years later and the mood is a little different.
While plenty of optimism can be found, some doubts have started to take root. A few problematic patterns have emerged. And the long-term prospects may not be as optimistic as they were a couple of years ago.
The whole world is watching this brave new experiment in New York and everyone is curious about the future.
