New York state passes bill legalising recreational cannabis

US state government estimates that the change could net an additional $350 million in annual tax revenues and create tens of thousands of jobs.

New York state legislators have passed a bill legalising recreational cannabis, with Governor Andrew Cuomo saying he would sign the legislation into law. New York will join 14 other US states and the District of Columbia in permitting cannabis use after the bill was backed by both state chambers, where Cuomo’s Democratic Party holds strong majorities. “For too long the prohibition of cannabis disproportionately targeted communities of color with harsh prison sentences,” Cuomo said in a statement.