Late push in Legislature for legal pot

ALBANY — Lawmakers are giving legal weed a second toke.

A reworked bill to legalize marijuana in the Empire State is expected to be introduced by the end of the week, according to Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes.

The Buffalo Democrat, backed by union officials and civil rights leaders, touted the amended legislation Tuesday, saying it will more closely “mirror” some aspects of a pot proposal Gov. Cuomo made this year – even though he’s not actively involved in the revamping.

“At this point I would say that he is not engaged in this process, but I will say that what is in the language was negotiated during the budget process,” Peoples-Stokes said. “I quite frankly think this is do-able. We have 20 days we can get this done, and that’s my plan.”

Legalization fell out of the budget this year as lawmakers and the administration failed to reach an agreement on enforcement and specifics about clearing arrest records of those previously charged with pot-related offenses, insiders said.

Cuomo’s approach included creating an Office of Cannabis Management to oversee hemp production, and sales of medical and recreational marijuana, which will be added to the new bill, said Peoples-Stokes.

The bill will also include provisions for expungement of pot arrest records.

Revenue from recreational marijuana sales would be split, with some money directed to communities adversely impacted by the current criminalization of pot, school-based prevention efforts, job training and youth development programs.