New York Gov. Cuomo Calls for Fast Timeline to Cannabis Legalization
*By Amanda Weston and Kate Gill*
Not only has New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed his stance on marijuana, he's expediting his timeline for legalization.
According to Joseph Spector, the Albany bureau chief for USA Today, Governor Cuomo committed to an accelerated schedule on Monday when he charted the agenda for the first 100 days of his new term in office.
"What Governor Andrew Cuomo did today was lay out his agenda for his third term, his first 100 days in office, and so having marijuana as part of this certainly signals he wants to do this in the near-term,"Spector told Cheddar Monday.
In Cuomo's address, he offered his most staunch support for legalization yet, saying 2019 is the year to eliminate the drug's "debilitating criminal stigma."
He may even beat New Jersey to the punch, which stalled its plans to legalize the drug in recent months.
"New Jersey seemed to be a little further ahead of New York in terms of moving ahead with legalization," Spector said. "Now New Jersey seems to have shelved their plan ... So can New York get ahead of New Jersey?"
Roughly a year ago, the climate for pot in New York was vastly different. The State Senate was controlled by Republicans, the majority of whom were opposed to legalization, and even Cuomo, a Democrat, called the substance a "gateway drug."
But Spector added that Cuomo's newfound enthusiasm for legalization doesn't mean that the process will be without its complications.
"There's a lot of factors at play here ... We've seen in Massachusetts, for example, it became law but it took several years that stores even started opening across the state."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/new-york-governor-pushes-legal-recreational-weed-in-2019).
Authorities on Thursday were trying to determine who sent letters filled with fentanyl or other substances to local election offices, an attack that appears to have targeted multiple states in the latest instance of threats faced by election workers around the country.
The White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza starting on Thursday, as the Biden administration said it has secured a second pathway for civilians to flee fighting.
Columnist and political analyst Jonathan Harris joined Cheddar News to break down what stood out from Wednesday's third Republican presidential primary debate.
Mississippi's largest county ran out of ballots during Wednesday's governor's election as some voters say they had to wait for up to an hour for new ballots to be printed before they could cast their votes.
Republican presidential candidates used the third debate of the GOP primary campaign to show their support for Israel and display at least some willingness to criticize Donald Trump.
The National Zoo's three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji. on Wednesday began their long trip to China, leaving behind an empty panda exhibit with no certainty that pandas ever would again take up residence there.
Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said Wednesday they could see and hear Israeli ground forces closing in from multiple directions, accelerating the exodus of thousands of civilians as food and water become scarce and urban fighting between Israel and Hamas heats up.
