Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters), Those with previous marijuana convictions will have the right to apply for licenses to open newly legalized cannabis retail shops in New York. This was announced by Kathy Hochul, New York Governor.

The state’s Cannabis Control Board approved the policy earlier today. This is to ensure that people who have been punished for prohibition are given the chance to enjoy legalization before corporations from the United States, which will be able to profit on the lucrative new market.

Some lawmakers of the Democrat-controlled state legislature pointed out that marijuana laws prohibiting possession or sale had disproportionately targeted Black users and Latinos, even though many white New Yorkers use marijuana at the same rate.

Hochul, a Democrat said that in a statement, the policy was about “righting the wrongs past.”

She stated, “The Cannabis Control Board will today prioritize local farmers/entrepreneurs, creating jobs opportunities for communities which have been left out or left behind,” in her statement.

New York, the second largest U.S. State to allow adults aged 21 and over marijuana use is New York. In defiance of the federal prohibition, recreational marijuana has been legalized in 16 states.

State’s initial 100-200 marijuana retail licenses are reserved for applicants who meet the criteria of “social equity”, i.e. New Yorkers with marijuana-related convictions or members of their immediate families, and can prove that they have had experience in running a business. They will be able to sell cannabis products made from New York farmers at stores that are expected to open before the end of this year.

Chris Alexander, executive director of the New York cannabis board, stated that nearly a million New Yorkers were detained in the past 20 years because they had been accused of marijuana offenses. Nearly 90 percent were arrested for lesser-level crimes.

He said, “That’s an individual being arrested for one joint or a small packgie.”

Advocates for legalization claimed that New Yorkers were suffering from prohibition in other ways, even beyond the confinement of prison and jail.

Kassandra Frederickique, the Executive Director of The Drug Policy Alliance (a national advocacy group for loosening drugs laws), stated that “cannabis prohibition really concentrated on criminalizing certain people.” It was always an racialized strategy.”

Frederique stated that New Yorkers were no longer eligible for federal student loans due to convictions. This made it harder for them to get a job and open their own business. Many New Yorkers had their homes evicted and their parental rights lost. Some New York immigrant New Yorkers were also deported after being convicted of cannabis.

While the public is invited to comment on the policy, officials in New York believe that the state will issue the first licenses by fall. New York’s farmers were also granted licenses by the cannabis board to be the initial suppliers for the new outlets.

Hochul also requested that lawmakers approve $200 million to renovate and lease New York’s storefronts so they can be used as pot shops by “social equity” licensees.