N.Y. Cannabis Law § 2: Legislative findings and intent

§ 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that

existing marihuana laws have not been beneficial to the welfare of the

general public. Existing laws have been ineffective in reducing or

curbing marihuana use and have instead resulted in devastating

collateral consequences including mass incarceration and other complex

generational trauma, that inhibit an otherwise law-abiding citizen's

ability to access housing, employment opportunities, and other vital

services. Existing laws have also created an illicit market which

represents a threat to public health and reduces the ability of the

legislature to deter the accessing of marihuana by minors. Existing

marihuana laws have disproportionately impacted African-American and

Latinx communities.

The intent of this act is to regulate, control, and tax marihuana,

heretofore known as cannabis, generate significant new revenue, make

substantial investments in communities and people most impacted by

cannabis criminalization to address the collateral consequences of such

criminalization, prevent access to cannabis by those under the age of

twenty-one years, reduce the illegal drug market and reduce violent

crime, reduce participation of otherwise law-abiding citizens in the

illicit market, end the racially disparate impact of existing cannabis

laws, create new industries, protect the environment, improve the

state's resiliency to climate change, protect the public health, safety

and welfare of the people of the state, increase employment and

strengthen New York's agriculture sector.

Nothing in this act is intended to limit the authority of any

district, government agency or office or employers to enact and enforce

policies pertaining to cannabis in the workplace; to allow driving under

the influence of cannabis; to allow individuals to engage in conduct

that endangers others; to allow smoking cannabis in any location where

smoking tobacco is prohibited; or to require any individual to engage in

any conduct that violates federal law or to exempt anyone from any

requirement of federal law or pose any obstacle to the federal

enforcement of federal law.

The legislature further finds and declares that it is in the best

interest of the state to regulate medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis,

cannabinoid hemp and hemp extracts under independent entities, known as

the cannabis control board and the office of cannabis management.