Legal Experts to Discuss Social Equity Aspects of New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act

Legal Experts to Discuss Social Equity Aspects of New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act

4.16.2021

By Christian Nolan

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) will examine how the new law legalizing cannabis for adult recreational use, which includes expunging past criminal records, will benefit people and communities that were disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition during a webinar on Tuesday, April 20, from 1 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.

The seminar will focus on the social equity components of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, including the automatic expungement of records for individuals with previous convictions for activities that are no longer criminal, as well as the availability of grants, loans, and incubator programs for lower-income, minority community members.

The panelists will also discuss:

• Funding for training drug recognition officers and expanding traffic safety protections – including the development of roadside testing technology.
• The provisions allowing for localities to opt-out of retail sales at the city, town and village level, and the allocation of the 9% sales tax on cannabis.
• How the existing medical cannabis program and the existing cannabinoid hemp program will be under the control of the newly created Cannabis Control Board and the Office of Cannabis Management, which will be placed under the State Liquor Authority, which is not currently involved with cannabis regulation.

The expert panelists are:

• Lynelle K. Bosworth, shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
• Dorothy F. Powell, senior counsel, New York State Senate Democratic Conference
• Jennifer Richardson, president, Capital District Black & Hispanic Bar Association
• Robert J. Masters, former Queens County executive assistant district attorney and chair of NYSBA’s Criminal Justice Section
• Scott DeLuca, senior counsel, Kavinoky Cook

Journalists are welcome to attend the webinar at no cost. Click here to register.

About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.

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Contact: Susan DeSantis
sdesantis@nysba.org
201-575-5756