Advocates applaud New York legalizing marijuana

Passing a law like this, according to state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, is a meaningful step toward correcting the harm drug enforcement has done to these communities.

“For decades, New York’s existing marijuana laws have failed to protect the welfare of our Black and Latinx communities,” Biaggi, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement to The Riverdale Press. “I always believed the MRTA was the best path to legalize marijuana because of its consistent and long-term investments in the communities most harmed by marijuana prohibition.”