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).
A scowling Donald Trump posed for a mug shot Thursday as he surrendered inside a jail in Atlanta on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, creating a historic and humbling visual underscoring the former president's escalating legal troubles.
Ramaswamy has crept up in recent polls, leading to his position next to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at center stage. He quickly took advantage of the spotlight, attacking the other candidates as "super PAC puppets" and drawing them into tit-for-tats that gave him more air time.
The former New York City mayor, charged as former President Donald Trump's chief co-conspirator in a plot to subvert the 2020 election, is charged with Trump and 17 other people under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Children’s advocacy groups including Fairplay and Common Sense Media are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google, saying the tech giant serves personalized ads to kids on YouTube despite federal law prohibiting the practice.
A Tennessee judge agreed Wednesday to temporarily block a new rule advanced by state House Republicans that banned the public from holding signs during floor and committee proceedings.
Former President Donald Trump is skipping tonight's GOP primary debate so what will the other candidates do? Political strategist Johnathan Harris weighs in.
