New York Smells Like a Joint: How Cannabis Legalization Has Changed the Face of the Big Apple

I have visited New York twice, summer 2019 and summer 2022. I was able to confirm two facts: that the apocalyptic article ‘NYC is dead forever‘ (“New York is dead forever”) published by James Altucher sentencing the city in the early months of the pandemic turned out to be wrong, and that the city has a permanent smell of marijuana that three years ago was not.

This difference is explained by the legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes that took place in 2021 for people over 21 years of age in the state of New York, which became the fifteenth to take this step. On the horizon, a market of up to 4,200 million dollars too succulent in its taxation to ignore it.

85 grams in your pocket, a kilo and a half at home

This legalization means that New Yorkers can carry three ounces (85 grams) of cannabis and smoke or drink it freely in any place where tobacco can be smoked, either indoors or outdoors, including hotels, excluding areas such as schools, stalls workplace or vehicle interiors. In the case of concentrated cannabis, possession is limited to 0.85 ounces (about 25 grams).

It is also allowed possess at home three pounds (almost a kilo and a half) if it is stored safely. The smell of marijuana cannot be used as justification to stop and search a pedestrian. The paradox is that there are areas of the in 1988, at a time perhaps ahead of its time, when the ubiquitous tobacco was much more normalized, all of which has led to the fact that many small shops have taken the opportunity to open quickly before the first licenses have been issued during the spring. Among its requirements is a fee of 2,000 dollars, a detailed business plan and an audit of good practices, among others.

Apart from these small businesses, the state has investment plans to “create the most inclusive adult cannabis industry in the nation,” according to its governor. In April they announced tax exemptions for these businesses with precisely this objective, as well as regulations to allow the cultivation of cannabis on New York farms. The smell of pot in Manhattan goes a long way.