ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo is looking to strike a deal with Connecticut and New Jersey on how to proceed with legalizing recreational marijuana and cracking down on the dangers of vaping.
Cuomo said this week he plans to meet with fellow Democratic Govs. Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Phil Murphy of New Jersey to discuss ways they can develop a regional approach on the issues.
That starts Wednesday when Cuomo travels to Hartford to meet with Lamont, the second time in recent weeks the neighboring governors have spent time together. Lamont went on a fishing tour with Cuomo on Lake Ontario last month.
"I want to talk to Connecticut, and then I want to talk to Jersey about having a regional symmetry on vaping products and marijuana," Cuomo said Tuesday on Long Island News Radio.
"For one state to do it, it makes no sense if the neighboring state has a totally different policy, because you then just incentivize people to drive over the border and buy it there," he continued.
Meanwhile, the states are all considering whether to legalize marijuana. Neighboring Massachusetts has done so, but efforts to legalize adult use of marijuana failed in the New York and New Jersey legislatures.
Cuomo said the goals of the meetings will be to find a way the tri-state area can collectively reach compromise on how to both address the health concerns with vaping and develop laws on legalizing marijuana.
"When you start to discuss how to legalize marijuana, it moves into the vaping space, because a lot of the marijuana products can be vaped," Cuomo said.
He said New York is "serious" about legalizing marijuana, "but it has to be done right and protected, and I want to start with Connecticut and see if we, if there's not an openness to come up with common parameters on a policy."
He said without a regional policy, residents of the states will just drive to where it is legal, creating health and enforcement issues for the entire region.
No comments:
Post a Comment