Canna is Legal, Now What?(not sure…)

BY FREDERICKA EASLEY

For many, the road to legalization has literally been and felt like a lifetime. Lives have been lost and communities forever changed. And here we are, on the precipice of a real game-changer. The passing of the MRTA provides pathways to create generational wealth and to make real investments into the socio/economic fabrics of our communities. Harm and equity are centered, with an explicit intent to repair...

“Existing marihuana laws have disproportionately impacted African-American and Latinx communities. The intent of this act is to regulate, control, and tax marihuana, heretofore known as cannabis, generate significant new revenue, make substantial investments in communities and people most impacted by cannabis criminalization to address the collateral consequences of such criminalization…”

~MRTA Ch.7A Sect.2 Legislative findings and intent

And so now the work begins. We’re calling in on that promise. We are demanding that the intent of the MRTA remains at the forefront and embedded in all activities moving forward. Most importantly and immediate is the naming of the Cannabis Control Board members.

It is a must that the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) be composed of individuals from the state of New York who are diverse in race, gender, and background foWr there to be a real understanding of and commitment to the bill’s intent to repair harm in an equitable, fair and diverse/inclusive process.

We know that the bill was the bones. Now is the time for “the meat” to be applied and that comes through rules and regulations. That process will be controlled by the CCB, which is a five-member body appointed by the governor (three seats), the president of the senate (one seat), and the speaker of the house (one seat).

We, the people, can not afford to have individuals who do not represent New York, who do not at a minimum understand cannabis culture, and who do not have the cultural astuteness and documented humility for impacted communities that have been disproportionately harmed to hold our futures in their hands.

And so the charge is to GET READY or STAY READY! New York’s road to equity has been paved with good intentions but accountability and transparency will most certainly be necessary to ensure they are seen through.