Appealing to Subway Riders – Weed Your Next Messiah, Weed for Rails

Could Weed Save New York’s Awful Subways?

A new proposal called Weed for Rails thinks so.

On April 27, 2019 the L train in New York City will shut down for 15 months between Manhattan and Brooklyn to repair damage caused during Hurricane Sandy. Leading up to the closure, VICE will be providing relevant updates and proposals, as well as profiles of community members and businesses along the affected route in a series we’re calling Tunnel Vision. Read more about the project here.

After years of backpedaling and underinvestment, New York’s lawmakers are poised to enter 2019 sincerely convinced (finally) of two things: that the New York City subway system is deeply fucked, and that it will take a lot of money to fix it.

Alas, what has launched in recent weeks is a scramble of proposals—some old, some new—to pay for the billions of dollars that the MTA will need to merely get the subway system up to par with the rest of the world’s major transit networks. It’s probably the best chance America’s largest city has had in decades to get the infrastructure that it has long deserved.

In July 2017, journalist Aaron Short highlighted on this website one of those proposals: legalizing weed to help fix America’s infrastructure crisis. The places that have legalized, he wrote, have amassed millions of dollars in tax revenues, which has since been reverted to help pay for infrastructure in states like Washington and Colorado. New York—which has nearly quadruple the population of Colorado and an economy bigger than countries like Argentina and the Netherlands—could stand to benefit immensely from taxing pot, Short argued. So why not put it to the subways?

And that’s exactly what a growing chorus of elected officials in New York are now thinking.

Earlier this month, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson came out in support of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, and using that tax revenue to help pay for the subway fixes. He promised to urge Albany—including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has softened his tone on the issue as other northeastern states have legalized—to act.

Joining Johnson, his predecessor, Melissa Mark-Viverito, has formally made the proposal—what she has titled ‘Weed for Rails’—a centerpiece of her candidacy for the city’s public advocate office, which will see a special election called in late February to fill the citywide seat. The former Council Speaker also sits on the MTA Sustainability Advisory Working Group, which is considering nearly a dozen potential revenue sources. And this is one of them.

VICE reached out to Mark-Viverito to find out more about the idea, and other potential ways to fund the city’s subways. (That includes Amazon.) Here’s what she had to say.

VICE: First off, what’s wrong with the New York City subway system?

Melissa Mark-Viverito: It’s in major crisis. It affects the quality of life for everyday New Yorkers, and it’s also affecting, obviously, the vitality of the city. When you talk about our mass transit system—which is the largest, and so important in getting New Yorkers around—between the buses and the subways, you hear people’s complaints of the commutes every single day. The delays; the lack of investment over years, and the infrastructure. Now, everything has just come together, and it’s this crisis. You know, ‘We haven’t updated the signals, so that’s the delays. The infrastructure is a mess.’ I was doing a meet and greet this morning underneath the 7 train, and that line is the number one complaint of those communities. If you see the videos, how horribly overcrowded they are. But it’s happening all over.

So it’s just a crisis, which I don’t think is getting the attention that it merits. We all know it’s broken. We all know it needs fixing. But I don’t hear people providing solutions. So utilizing the position of public advocate and this candidacy, I really want to champion that issue, bring the conversation to the forefront, and recommend some sort of policy solutions. And that’s where the Weed for Rails came about.

How would Weed for Rails work?

It’s about us saying, ‘This is a substantive source of revenue that a portion of it we can allocate to this critical infrastructure need, which impacts particularly low-income and working-class communities, who have limited options.’ If you got resources, you can call an Uber or Lyft every day to get you around. But if you’re somebody who relies on the transportation system, even though it’s still expensive for many, then you’re limited in your options. So this is impacting your ability to get to work on time. It’s impacting spending quality time with your family. If you get delayed to work, you could have an employer who doesn’t accommodate or be flexible, so it could impact your employment. It could impact the quality of life of your children, who have to wake up earlier to get to school because of it.

It’s a serious issue, and for me, saying, ‘Alright, I believe in legalization of marijuana—let’s legalize marijuana; second, that source of revenue, we’re going to apply some of it to the critical infrastructure needs of our transit system; and the remainder, we’ll invest and create opportunities in communities that have been overcriminalized and have been disproportionately impacted.’ [Another candidate for the office, Rafael Espinal, criticized the plan for not giving back enough to these communities.] That’s a concrete recommendation, and people are reacting to it. It’s obviously stirring up debate, and that’s what we need right now. We need to focus, and we need to take this to be the crisis that it is.

What do you think are the issues that led to this?

It’s always with infrastructure. It’s not just with our transit system, to be honest. It’s with our bridges, and in general, the lack of continued investment in the infrastructure of our city—NYCHA public housing is another example of that. So when you see that, over the years, it accumulates to a point where it’s not addressed and it becomes a crisis. And that’s the point where we find ourselves. So a historic disinvestment in that, and that’s basically what it is.

What do you think about other spending proposals on the table?

Obviously congestion pricing is something I support, and I’ve been a supporter of it strongly since 2008. And the fact that we haven’t passed that is ridiculous. But that revenue alone is a drop in the bucket in terms of the needs of the MTA. So the capital construction is where I’m talking about investing the money, but then there’s the operational side, which is a whole other set of conversations. That’s about pensions, management in general, and how the MTA functions. That’s a separate conversation. But my recommendation is specifically about investing in the infrastructure needs. When we talk about President Andy Byford’s Fast Forward Plan, he’s talking about uploading a lot of the capital infrastructure work. You know, bringing it closer—within 10 years, as opposed to 20 or 15 years. In doing that, you’re basically going to have front load, and put more money into that. To realize that plan, we need to invest heavily. So the gap is huge, and it’s billions of dollars that we’re talking about. Trying to at least address that plan, which is to bring the capital infrastructure up to speed, is where I’m focusing the plan on.

 

Marijuana in New York – Kosher Cannabis – Not Part of this Article, But Likely For the Shelves

Cannabis

Marijuana Gear for Discerning New Yorkers Is Flying off the Shelves

Higher Standards in Chelsea Market is breaking sales records this holiday season. How about a $6,000 glass pipe in the shape of a skateboard? 

 

Marijuana’s push into the mainstream now includes a store inside Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, where a holiday shopper seeking a gift for that cannabis connoisseur in their life can spend $6,000 on a glass pot pipe in the shape of a skateboard.

Higher Standards, a Miami-based company that makes marijuana accessories, launched its first retail location a year ago inside the high-end mall, which draws thousands of local foodies and tourists heading west to the High Line.

In addition to expensive bongs and vaporizers, there’s a selection of rolling papers, glass containers for matches and even a $350 marijuana infuser for the home chef looking to make edibles that are a bit more precise than dorm-room pot brownies. This is weed culture in 2018: upscale and out in the open—even in New York, where pot is still mostly illegal.

“There’s still a wink and nod in New York,” said Sasha Kadey, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Higher Standards. “There’s advantages in a business like ours, which doesn’t touch the plant.”

Kadey was referring to a dividing line in the cannabis industry between companies that “touch the plant,” or deal with marijuana directly, and those that don’t. The Higher Standards store in Chelsea Market set a single-day sales record on Black Friday, and then topped it on Dec. 8, the retailer said.

The store, which offers gift wrapping, of course, will be profitable this year, according to Kadey. The company plans to open as many as five additional locations next year, including one in Atlanta that’s expected to be ready just in time for Super Bowl Sunday.

A different kind of skateboard./Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

Back in New York, with signs that Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, wants to legalize pot for adult recreational use, Higher Standards could be well-positioned to capitalize. MedMen, a U.S. cannabis company that has a medical-use dispensary on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, is reportedly interested in opening a new store a few steps from Chelsea Market.

These days, cannabis culture is becoming part of everyday life. Pot is now legal for adult use across Canada and in 10 U.S. states, with easing regulations driving an investment boom that’s seen the value of publicly traded marijuana companies surge. Still, federal laws barring marijuana possession have complicated matters.

 

Marijuana pipes and bongs have long been available across New York in bodegas and smoke shops, often with a requisite winking admonishment that the products are only for tobacco. Higher Standards, meanwhile, has sought to “elevate” the marijuana accessories shopping experience.

A wide selection of gifts for pot enthusiasts./ Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

The retailer wanted to be in New York because the city is on the cutting edge of retail trends, Kadey said, adding that the company was also taking advantage of the surging curiosity around cannabis. In New York, everyone is hearing about weed and legalization, and the store has become a place to get a look at how the industry is evolving, he said.

To read the remainder of the article in Bloomburg, click here.

 

Cannabis News – Across the County

 

Cannabis News Round-Up

December 9, 2018 By Daniel Harvester Leave a Comment

 

Denver will vacate low-level marijuana convictions that occurred before legalization. The little Colorado town that pot built.

Rhode Island considers marijuana legalization as New England turns green. The high costs of legalizing marijuana in New Hampshire.

A new revenue source for NYC mass transit: Legalizing and taxing cannabis. Long Island public hearingcenters on legalizing recreational marijuana. Minority entrepreneurs look to break into burgeoning New Jersey pot industry. Jersey City tells cops to keep arresting people for pot.

Could Minnesota be next to legalize marijuana?

North Carolina legislature to consider marijuana legalization in 2019.

Missouri lawmaker files marijuana legalization bill after voters approve medical cannabis.

As Altria eyes pot, Philip Morris ignores peer pressure. Altria invests $1.8 billion in cannabis company Cronos. Navigating cannabis legalization 2.0. Major alcohol association briefs Congress on marijuana legalization. In 90-second clip, Fox & Friends pushes string of misleading claims about marijuana. Investing in marijuana dispensary stocks could be a big mistake.

Will Trump’s wall help keep US weed out of Mexico? Marijuana in Mexico: how to legalize it effectively, fairly and safely.

Capitalistic US faces fight with Canada for cannabis supremacy. US–Canada cross-border dispatches on the state of cannabis legalization. In Canada, you can study marijuana production for college credit. Why moldy weed is a problem in Canada and how to fix it. Pot is so hot in Canada that firms are importing workers. Netherlands master weed growers are flocking to Canada

The Source material for this article can be found in attached links. Please find the Original Article here.

Recreational Marijuana in New York…. A Kosher-not-so-Kosher Harvest?

Cuomo preparing recreational marijuana plan for New York in 2019

Thomas Franck | @tomwfranck

Published 17 Hours Ago Updated 15 Hours AgoCNBC.com

• The Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday reaffirms its goal of creating a program for regulated marijuana use.
• As part of a well-telegraphed initiative, the governor’s office hosted the listening sessions throughout September and October to gauge community appetite for legal cannabis.
• A May study by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer projected marijuana use could foster a $3.1 billion market in the state.
• In Colorado, marijuana retailers made $1.5 billion last year and accrued $247 million in taxes and fees, according to state records

The Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to creating a model program for controlled recreational marijuana use in New York State.

“As we have said since August, the goal of this administration is to create a model program for regulated adult-use cannabis — and the best way to do that is to ensure our final proposal captures the views of everyday New Yorkers,” said Cuomo spokesman Tyrone Stevens.

“That’s why Governor Cuomo launched 17 listening sessions in cities across the state to give every community in every corner of New York the opportunity to be heard,” Stevens added. “Now that the listening sessions have concluded, the working group has begun accessing and reviewing the feedback we received and we expect to introduce a formal comprehensive proposal early in the 2019 legislative session.”

 

As part of a well-telegraphed initiative, the governor’s office hosted the listening sessions throughout September and October to gauge community appetite on the implementations of a regulated marijuana program in New York State. Cuomo’s office said in August that community input would “assist the Regulated Marijuana Workgroup in drafting legislation for an adult-use marijuana program for the legislature to consider in the upcoming season.”

Earlier this year, a multi-agency study commissioned by Governor Cuomo and led by the Department of Health concluded that “the positive effects of regulating an adult marijuana market in NYS outweigh the potential negative impacts.”

“I have reviewed the multi-agency report commissioned last January and have discussed its findings with Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker,” Cuomo said on Aug. 2. “The next steps must be taken thoughtfully and deliberately. As we work to implement the report’s recommendations through legislation, we must thoroughly consider all aspects of a regulated marijuana program, including its impact on public health, criminal justice and State revenue, and mitigate any potential risks associated with it.”

Shares of major Canadian cannabis producers that trade on U.S. exchanges closed mixed on Tuesday. Tilray and Cronos Group both fell, while Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis rose 6.9 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. Some of the shares ticked higher after the NY Post reported the comments from Cuomo’s office.

While cannabis in the U.S. remains federally illegal, the industry analysts believe the U.S. market for cannabis could be sizable, with the current illicit market valued at around $40 billion to $50 billion. According to the latest Gallup poll, 66 percent of survey respondents now support legalizing marijuana. That’s a record high and was the third consecutive year that support for legalization has increased to record levels.

View interactive content

 

A study released in May by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer projected OKing marijuana use could foster a $3.1 billion market in the Empire State.

The comptroller’s office also said that, by applying tax rates in line with other states, New York could “reap as much $436 million annually in new tax revenue from legal marijuana sales.” New York City alone could garner as much as $335 million, Stringer’s office said, which “could be used to invest in communities most damaged by decades of criminalizing marijuana usage and possession.”

In the 2018 midterm elections, Michiganders chose to authorize the legalization of possession, use and cultivation of marijuana products by those who are at least 21 years old. Ten states and the District of Columbia have now approved recreational use of pot.

In Colorado, marijuana retailers made $1.5 billion last year and accrued $247 million in taxes and fees, according to state records.

WATCH: Cramer says Altria needed Cronos deal to show a pulse

https://amp-video.cnbc.com/?partnerId=ampVOD&byGuid=7000054557&refUrl=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/11/cuomo-preparing-recreational-marijuana-plan-for-new-york-in-2019.html&vn=42&brand=cnbc#amp=1

$3.1 Billion Recreational Use Marijuana in NY, Toking it up with Cuomo…. Are We Taking Bets on Ultra-Orthodox Licensees?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo makes a point during a meeting on tax cut proposals in the Red Room at the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. Cuomo has proposed cutting the state’s corporate income tax from 7.1 percent to 6.5 percent and eliminating it altogether for upstate manufacturers. He also has proposed paying more state aid as an incentive to any of New York’s 10,500 local governments that impose hard 2 percent spending caps and cut their costs by consolidating services with other towns, villages, cities and counties. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Cuomo to release plan for legalizing recreational use of marijuana

Gov. Cuomo’s budget address next year could be smokin’.

Aides said Tuesday that the governor will introduce a plan for legalizing recreational marijuana, possibly as part of his executive budget.

“The goal of this administration is to create a model program for regulated adult-use cannabis — and the best way to do that is to ensure our final proposal captures the views of everyday New Yorkers,” said Cuomo spokesman Tyrone Stevens.

“That’s why Governor Cuomo launched 17 listening sessions in cities across the state to give every community in every corner of New York the opportunity to be heard. Now that the listening sessions have concluded, the working group has begun accessing and reviewing the feedback we received and we expect to introduce a formal comprehensive proposal early in the 2019 legislative session.”

A study released in May by city Comptroller Scott Stringer estimated that legalizing marijuana could create a $3.1 billion market in New York State.

Imposing excise taxes on weed — similar to levies on cigarettes and booze — could generate $436 million in new state tax revenues and $336 million in additional city tax revenue, the report said.

Some advocates want the new taxes dedicated to the MTA.

Another key issue that’s being discussed is whether to expunge the records of New Yorkers who were arrested for marijuana possession when they were young — a disproportionate number of them are black and Latino.

In August, the governor appointed a 20-member task force to draft legislation to regulate cannabis following a report by his Health Department that gave the green light to legalizing pot. The group has been holding hearings and soliciting opinions.

Numerous other issues also need to be addressed, including: How many outlets would be permitted to sell marijuana, and will be cannabis be sold in smokeable form?

Under the state’s current medical marijuana program, patients are prescribed pot in pill and ointment form.

One lawmaker long involved in marijuana legalization efforts said cannabis should be sold in smokeable form, with limitations.

“The law ought to allow smoking of cannabis, with rules similar to limits on where you can smoke tobacco — but not necessarily the same,” said Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan).

“We probably wouldn’t allow smoking cannabis out in public, but might allow it in some establishments. The health questions about smoking cannabis are nothing like problems with tobacco, in part because no one would smoke a comparable quantity.”

But for now, Gottfried said he’s waiting to see what Cuomo proposes before commenting further.

The push for pot legalization is a reversal for Cuomo, who once dismissed weed as a “gateway drug.”

But earlier this year, he called for a study of legalization after neighboring Massachusetts legalized cannabis. Meanwhile, new New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is finalizing a proposed law to legalize weed in the Garden State.

The most recent Jersey bill being debated calls for a 12 percent tax on pot sales — a standard 6.625 percent sales and a 5.375 marijuana tax. Murphy initially sought a 25 percent tax.

Law-and-order types said Cuomo and the Democratic-run Legislature are making a mistake. Legalizing weed was never a priority during GOP control of the state Senate — but the Democrats won the majority in the Novembers election and are more supportive.

“I guess it’s not a gateway drug anymore,” state Conservative Party chairman Mike Long said sarcastically.

To read the remainder of the article click here.

Legislation to Legalize Marijuana in NJ – YWN Coverage?

MARIJUANA COVERAGE IN YESHIVA WORLD NEWS, SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT OUR THEORY…

Why would the Yeshiva World News be interested in the Legalization of Marijuana in New Jersey unless there were something to be gained by the community it covers? It would make sense if they know who will be joining the commission in New Jersey (see in red below). It would make more sense if they had an inside track into the course legalization is taking. It however would be inconsistent, simply put, with the rest of their coverage.

Over the last few days, we have OPINED that New York is going to be quick to legalize marijuana and the ultra-Orthodox, in particular the Satmar community, are simply counting the minutes. We believe the publication of articles like the one below, dated November 22, 2018, speaks volumes to the interest of the community. 

New Jersey, according to sources close to us, already has an active secondary market for cannabis licenses and the current holders for medical marijuana purposes are buying and selling into and out of their corporate structures on a regular basis. New York has much to be gained if the State beats NJ to the punch, as do those already invested in the business. It is like investing in the futures market, particularly if you have inside information into the future.

CONTINUING COVERAGE…

NJ Lawmakers Unveil Legislation Legalizing Marijuana

New Jersey lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled their latest proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and over.

A joint Democrat-led Assembly and Senate committee is expected to discuss the measures Monday.

It’s the latest draft in a long-running effort to legalize recreational cannabis in New Jersey, where despite support from Democratic leaders, including Gov. Phil Murphy, the effort has stalled.

The measure allows for legalizing an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older — similar to previous drafts.

Changes in the new bill include a 12 percent tax rate on cannabis. Previous version of the bill included a phased-in rate that climbed from 7 percent to 25 percent.

The 12 percent rate includes the 6.625 percent sales tax, according to the draft released Wednesday. The proposal also permits local governments to apply up to a 2 percent tax on cannabis.

The measure also sets up a five-person cannabis commission charged with regulating the substance.

The members would be full time and receive a $125,000 per year salary, while the chairman would get up to $141,000 annually.

The members would serve for five-year terms and would be appointed by the governor, with approval from the state Senate. Two members would be appointed on the recommendation of the Senate president and Assembly speaker.

To read the remainder of the article click here.

A Subway Ride to Legalization of Marijuana in New York and the Kosher Cannabis Business…

THE CANNABIS PLAY IN NEW YORK

We cite you back to an earlier article wherein we stated that we believe that the ultra-Orthodox are making a play at the next major highly lucrative financial business in New York. It is not diamonds or real-estate but medical, and soon-to-be recreational marijuana. The ultra-Orthodox bigwigs couched in the “Kosher Cannabis” rhetoric are going to be front and center in the licensing of new facilities or the buy-ins into previously licensed companies. That’s just our OPINION.

But the reporting of the local New York papers, certainly seems to be giving us credence that we are riding the right subway line…. 

 

MTA hires ‘renowned signaling expert’ to fix subways

New York City Transit head Andy Byford is breaking out the big guns to fix the subway system.

Byford has hired Pete Tomlin – whom the MTA calls an “internationally renowned signaling expert” – to head up the massive signaling work that has to be done as a part of the decade-long Fast Forward project.

Tomlin worked with Byford in Toronto and London and was also a top gun in the Hong Kong system, say MTA officials.

“I worked with Pete in both London and Toronto and I need him on my team to drive the Fast Forward resignaling program,” Byford said. “He has a stellar track record, he knows how to get contractors to deliver as part of a unified team, and I am delighted that I was able to persuade him to take up a real ‘New York challenge’.”

In London, Tomlin headed up the creation of the Jubilee Line Extension in the 1990s. In Hong Kong, he headed up the West Rail and Ma On Shan subway lines. He was with the Toronto Transit Commission, where Byford was his boss, from 2009 until this year.

Tomlin’s first project at the MTA will be to oversee the final adjustments to the new CBTC signal system that kicked in on the 7 line last month, said MTA officials.

Byford’s Fast Forward plan to fix the New York City subway system will cost about $37 billion and take 10 years.

To read the remainder of the article, click here.