In other news, the state of Virginia has officially banned the death penalty with a signature from Governor Ralph Northam.
Meanwhile, a group of mostly Republican-controlled state governments have filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's temporary freeze of oil and gas leasing.
Finally, New York just moved a step closer to legal weed.
New York is ready to legalize recreational marijuana. The state would impose special pot taxes and prepare to license dispensaries under an agreement reached by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders.
“It is my understanding that the three-way agreement has been reached and that bill drafting is in the process of finishing a bill that we all have said we support,” state Senate Finance Committee Chair Liz Krueger told Bloomberg Government on Wednesday.
The deal that legislative leaders brokered with Cuomo (D) would legalize cannabis use for adults 21 years old and up, and includes a 13% sales tax, 9% of which would go to the state and 4% to the localities, Krueger said. Distributors additionally would collect an excise tax of as much as 3 cents per milligram of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, with a sliding scale based on the type of product and its potency.
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