Democratic lawmakers scramble for deal on marijuana legalization – By David Lombardo (Times Union) / June 18 2019
ALBANY — Diminishing hopes for marijuana legalization were lifted in the Capitol Tuesday as lawmakers scrambled behind the scenes to salvage the legislation.
The tweaks being made to an existing proposal allowing adult-use marijuana are supposed to bring flexible Democratic state lawmakers on board by addressing outstanding concerns, such as local control over commercialization and funding for law enforcement, education and drug treatment.
“I’m trying to make people happy,” Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat sponsoring the bill, said as she hustled through the halls of the Capitol to confer with the Assembly sponsor.
Sen. Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat, was confident they could find a version that would get enough lawmakers on board to move the legislation.
“The numbers will increase as they see what they want is in the bill,” Savino said.
The long-shot talks on Tuesday to craft an agreement that can pass the Legislature were largely between the Assembly and Senate, according to Krueger. Negotiations between Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office over the weekend didn’t yield results, with control over marijuana revenues a major sticking point.
On whether Cuomo could re-enter the discussions, Krueger said, “The governor has bopped in and bopped out over the year, so who the heck knows.”
If the Legislature decides to pursue their latest compromise they would need to stay in Albany through at least Friday. If the deal doesn’t involve the governor, he is unlikely to issue a waiver allowing them to skip the three-day legislative aging process.
Bills are also floating around the Capitol that would address different components of the legalization proposal, such as decriminalization of marijuana, medical marijuana expansion and regulations of the hemp industry, including CBD oil that is used to treat symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia and pain.
If a deal on legalization fails to materialize, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie expressed a willingness Tuesday to take on the decriminalization legislation, which would expunge criminal records for New Yorkers convicted of low-level drug crimes.
“The very least we could do is make sure people who have suffered under these laws … can get this stain off of their lives,” Heastie said.
The decriminalization effort is the driving force behind the legalization movement, which is why many lawmakers – who have expressed concerns about the soundness of the proposal – remain supportive.
