by Kara Machowski
Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted Monday morning that he passed a law that decimalizes the use of marijuana in the state of New York.
Under the new law, possessors will face a $50 penalty for possession of marijuana under one ounce and possessors of 1-2 ounces will receive a maximum fine of $200. This results in the removal of criminal penalties for possession of any amount under two ounces.
This comes after Cuomo stated that the previous law unfairly targeted minorities of African and Latino communities.
"Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by laws governing marijuana for far too long, and today we are ending this injustice once and for all," the Governor said.
The previous law of possessing 25 grams or less could result in a 15 day stay in jail and possession of 25 grams to 2 ounces could result in a jail time of 30 days. If the possession is deemed as “in public view”, it could even result in 90 days jail time, and this is disregarding any previous convictions.
The new law even creates a process for expunging past marijuana convictions in the state of New York.
"By providing individuals who have suffered the consequences of an unfair marijuana conviction with a path to have their records expunged and by reducing draconian penalties, we are taking a critical step forward in addressing a broken and discriminatory criminal justice process.” Cuomo stated.
Many New York lawmakers see this as a step forward in marijuana reform. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes of Buffalo, New York stated, “By decriminalizing marijuana use in New York once and for all, we are ending this repressive cycle that unfairly targets certain communities. I thank the Governor for signing this bill and for taking this critical step forward in the name of equality.”
The new law takes 30 days to go into effect.
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