ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — According to sources inside the New York State Capitol, a tentative deal has been reached on marijuana legalization. This is a three-way deal for a bill that lives outside of budget proposals.
One of the biggest issues with lawmakers is people driving while under the influence of marijuana since there is no foolproof way to determine someone’s level of impairment during a traffic stop.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said that lawmakers had overcome that obstacle earlier Wednesday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he wanted to reach the deal by April 1, the budget deadline.
Sources say some specifics on the deal include allowing growing weed at home, a 9% sales tax to the state, plus another 4% for localities. Some money will go to the state lottery fund for education, drug treatment programs, and community reinvestment grants.