KO for cannabis legalization in New York, Missouri and Oklahoma

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State, still believed it could include the proposed legalization of cannabis in the 2020 budget. The coronavirus pandemic, and probably a lack of upstream work, will have dampened his optimism.

«We're not going to make it. I don't think we're going to get there because, really, this is something that should have been discussed and worked on, and the legislature wasn't there. I was dealing with this COVID virus,» he said. declared. «It takes time to do things right.»

«It's not a yes/no. It's a, how does it work. What about the police? How many licenses? Who gives out the licenses? How do we ensure minority inclusion? How do we coordinate with Connecticut and New Jersey? And nobody's really had the time to work on these things. So I don't think we're getting there.»

The latest draft budget report includes a line stating that the «adopted budget omits the executive's proposal to legalize cannabis use for adults». It also «eliminates $34.31 million in funding for the’Office for Cannabis Management», a government agency that would have been responsible for regulating the cannabis market.

The the second year running that cannabis legalization fails to be integrated into the New York State budget. Last year, months of negotiations failed to iron out all the disagreements, including how tax revenues would be allocated.

In Missouri, John Payne, campaign manager for Missourians for a New Approach, the organization behind the initiative to legalize cannabis in the state, has declared that the group would probably not be able to meet the May deadline for submitting its petition due to confinement. The organization is «exploring other options,» including the possibility of extending the deadline, which the state constitution does not allow.

«Unfortunately. While Missourians have broad support for taxing and regulating marijuana, there is currently no practical way during the COVID-19 epidemic to safely and publicly gather the 170,000+ signatures needed,» explained John Payne.

The organization had already collected more than 60,000 of the 170,000 signatures needed to put cannabis legalization on the ballot this November. The group had also raised 400,000 $ this month to see its campaign through.

Oklahoma has also suspended all signature-gathering initiatives, notably undermining efforts to legalize cannabis in the state. Governor Kevin Stitt declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 15 until further notice. Ryan Kiesel, a supporter of SQ 807, the proposed legalization of cannabis in Oklahoma, estimates that even after containment stops, it would be «really difficult, if not impossible, to imagine a scenario in which an initiative petition campaign could responsibly and feasibly collect the signatures needed to prepare for the 2020 vote if that campaign doesn't already have the signatures in hand.»

The campaign needed to collect 178,000 signatures in 90 days to qualify for the November polls.