Cuomo unveils new pieces to his legal pot plan

The fund would give community-based nonprofit organizations and local governments the chance to apply for funding to support a number of different efforts, including, but not limited to:

• Job placement and skills services, 
•  Adult education, 
•  Mental health treatment, 
• Substance use disorder treatment, 
• Housing, 
• Financial literacy, 
• Community banking, 
• Nutrition services, 
• Services to address adverse childhood experiences, 
• Afterschool and child care services, system navigation services, 
• Legal services to address barriers to reentry, and 
• Linkages to medical care, women's health services and other community-based supportive services 

The grants from this program may also be used to further support the social and economic equity program. 

As for delivery services, the governor says local governments would have the opportunity to opt-out of allowing. Overall, he projects legalizing cannabis could create 60,000 new jobs, and spur $3.5 billion in economic activity while generating an estimated $350 million in tax revenue once fully implemented. 

With improper sales, Cuomo would reduce the following penalties:

• Criminal sale in the third degree (sale to under 21 year old) will be made a class A misdemeanor 
• Criminal sale in the second degree (sale of over 16 ounces or 80 grams of concentrate) will be made a class E felony 
• Criminal sale in the first degree (sale of over 64 ounces or 320 grams of concentrate) will be made a class D felony 

The governor also pushed the legislation in 2019 and 2020 but came up short.