County Leaders Across New York Call For Marijuana Legalization To Address Budget Shortfalls Amid COVID

Marijuana legalization is among the proposals that a coalition of New York county officials recommended on Tuesday as a way to offset economic losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) report on closing budget gaps includes a brief section stating that adult-use cannabis legalization “will provide the state and counties with resources for public health education and technical assistance.”

“Counties should be allowed to apply their local sales tax rate on these transactions,” it states. “In addition, the cannabis cultivation tax should be shared with the county in which the product is grown.”

In all, the more than 80 proposed policy changes were submitted to the state Division of Budget in the interest of bolstering local economies across the Empire State.