As New York hurtles towards the opening of its new authorized leisure marijuana market, the state is apparently “scrambling to develop a option to measure when motorists are driving whereas beneath the affect of hashish since there’s no present customary or legitimate testing.”
That’s in accordance with a report on Sunday in the New York Post, which stated that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has issued a name for a mechanism to identify weed-impaired drivers.
“With the legalization of adult-use hashish, there are issues of elevated incidences of driving whereas impaired after hashish use,” the New York Division of Well being stated in a proposal, as quoted by the Post.
“Figuring out drivers impaired by hashish use is of essential significance…..Nonetheless, in contrast to alcohol, there are at the moment no evidence-based strategies to detect cannabis-impaired driving,” the memo continued.
The information comes amid budding anticipation for the launch of New York’s first regulated adult-use marijuana retailers. According to the Post, New York is predicted to award “as much as 175 retail licenses to promote marijuana within the coming weeks.”
Hochul stated final week that the state stays on monitor to launch the brand new regulated hashish market by the top of this 12 months.
“We anticipate the primary 20 dispensaries to be open by the top of this 12 months,” Hochul told the Advance Media New York editorial board. “After which each month or so, one other 20. So, we’re not going to only jam it on the market. It’s going to work and achieve success.”
The state started accepting functions for adult-use dispensary licenses on August 25, with the deadline arriving on September 26. New York officers have stated that roughly 500 functions had been submitted, whereas a whole lot of candidates had been rejected as a consequence of being ineligible.
The primary dispensary licenses shall be designated for people who’ve beforehand been convicted of a pot-related offense.
“New York State is making historical past, launching a first-of-its-kind method to the hashish business that takes a serious step ahead in righting the wrongs of the previous,” Hochul stated in her announcement of the coverage in March. “The rules superior by the Hashish Management Board right now will prioritize native farmers and entrepreneurs, creating jobs and alternative for communities which were neglected and left behind. I’m proud New York shall be a nationwide mannequin for the protected, equitable and inclusive business we at the moment are constructing.”
Hochul’s predecessor, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, legalized leisure hashish within the state when he signed a invoice into regulation in March of 2021. The measure instantly ended the state’s ban on possession, however the regulated hashish market was gradual to get off the bottom beneath Cuomo, who stepped down as governor in August of final 12 months amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
After taking on, Hochul made it a precedence to get this system up and operating, one thing she touted in her interview with the editorial board final week.
“Speak concerning the rollout being jammed up. Once I grew to become governor, nothing had occurred. Nothing. It was shut down as a result of there was a battle between the administration and the legislature over who can be the chief director and the chairs of the hashish evaluate boards,” she stated. “So, I used to be given a number of credit score as a result of inside one week, I named folks. I obtained issues going. So, after I converse to folks about being a part of this business, the very first thing they are saying is ‘thanks.’ As a result of in any other case we may nonetheless be ready and ready and ready, even for probably the most fundamental steps to be taken. So we’ve been transferring alongside shortly.”