We all knew this would happen. After Colorado and Washington, New York was just waiting behind the corner to jump on the bandwagon. And what a relief that would be if NYS managed to legalize marijuana for anyone who is over eighteen years old. The idea is quite simple; legalize marijuana and turn it into a 3 billion dollar industry, an amount that is solely based on the Tri-State area. You may think that amount is a bit exaggerated but when you find out that they are planning to tax an ounce for marijuana with $50, that elusive amount somehow becomes a reality.
The very basics of this legalization package provides free passes for 18 year olds possessing but not buying marijuana, those privileges are reserved for anyone who is over 21 years of age. If you were more agricultural in nature, you would be allowed to plant up to six marijuana plants at home or in your garden. But this is New York, a place where there aren’t that many gardens to begin with.
Of course, at this point, everyone is terribly excited about the idea. A bunch of marijuana legalization advocates have started popping around all over the place on the trail of a good business opportunity, some even having ulterior motives such as actual profit if the thing goes legit. And as we learned so far, advocates usually have different motives. Buzzfeed even ran an article on seven high profile advocates pushing to legalize marijuana in New York.
As always, it boils down to the Democrats and the Republicans. The former believe marijuana legalization would do got both economically and medicinally. After all, $3 billion is all the motivation a lobbyist or an advocate really needs to stand behind this legislation. We just hope that the true benefits of medical marijuana don’t get lost in the way of this crazy green wave of consumerism the U.S. is currently facing.
The Republicans, on the other hand, view things differently and are trying to concentrate on cutting taxes and by doing so – create jobs in the process. In their own words, they are trying to keep families in New York, rather than make them flee from it. All these efforts are noble but lets face it, marijuana legalization would not only open a lot of new job posts but would also create revenue that could be invested into creating even more job posts, improving education revolving around marijuana in general and provide a decent grounds for the successful implementation of marijuana regulations.
Colorado and Washington are currently under close watch as they are in the process of implementing their own marijuana regulations. If they succeed, and it seems like they are going to, it is safe to assume that other states will follow their model. New York has a reputation at being at the forefront of change in America and surely, its residents will recognize the good this could bring to their community if not for anything else then for the rapid downfall of drug dealers specializing in marijuana.
