New York state lawmakers struck a deal Wednesday to legalize marijuana, legislative sources said
—> just hours after Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the move “essential” to the state’s social and economic well-being.
The reform measures will be included in the laws that are set to be proposed as part of the state budget due on April 1, the sources said.
The deal would allow New Yorkers over the age of 21 to legally buy and possess up to 3 ounces of pot for their personal use, with sales by licensed dispensaries to begin as early as December 2022, sources said.
Recreational stoners could even cultivate up to six plants each, or a dozen per household, but a big bummer in the agreement would make them wait to start growing their own until 18 months after the first dispensary opens, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle said.
Plans call for a 9 percent state tax on retail sales that could generate $300 million a year in new revenues, state Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) told The Post.
Cities, towns and villages that don’t opt out of allowing local sales or deliveries could also tack on another 4 percent tax.
The deal includes the creation of a new state regulatory agency, the Office of Cannabis Management, to license growers, retail sales, delivery and on-premises consumption, Krueger said.
Still-unresolved issues include how the tax money would be distributed beyond funding the new agency, with plans calling for 40 percent dedicated to school aid, 40 percent to social equity grants and the remaining 20 to treatment and public education.
In addition, Cuomo wanted the agency under his control but the plan calls for it to answer to a five-member board with three gubernatorial appointees and one each selected by the state Senate and Assembly, Krueger said.
![New York lawmakers have reached an agreement to legalize marijuana.]()
New York lawmakers have reached an agreement to legalize marijuana.David McNew/Getty Images During a news conference earlier Thursday, Cuomo said he was making marijuana legalization a top priority in budget negotiations with lawmakers.
“This year we have to get it done, and getting it done by the time the budget is passed is essential,” he said.
“Cannabis is not just social equity, it’s also revenue for the state.”