Unable to pass an anticipated bill to legalize marijuana in the state, New York’s state Senate and Assembly passed a bill on Thursday night to decriminalize the drug. Under the new regulation, small scale cannabis possession charges would be roughly equivalent to getting a parking ticket; $50 for under an ounce and $200 for under two ounces.

The bill was passed mere hours before the end of the Senate’s 2019 session, and passed the state Assembly on Friday morning shortly before that body recessed for the year.

A bill that would have legalized selling recreational cannabis in the state of New York has died after state lawmakers were unable to reach a consensus on parts of the bill.

Democratic Senator Liz Krueger who sponsored the bill made a statement on Wednesday that legislation will not pass in 2019.

“It is clear now that [the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act] is not going to pass this session,” said Krueger.

“This is not the end of the road, it is only a delay. Unfortunately, that delay means countless more New Yorkers will have their lived up-ended by unnecessary and racially disparate enforcement measures before we inevitably legalize.”

The marijuana industry has been fueled by the legislative measures that have occurred on a statewide basis over the past five or so years. In that time, we have seen a number of states allow for the use and sale of recreational cannabis. With so many states showing that there can be a lot of success for those willing to put in the right laws, it seems that many places around the nation have begun to follow suit.

With the end of the spring legislative session just days away, New York lawmakers are making one final push towards legalizing cannabis in the Empire State. The hope is to vote on legalization this Wednesday, writes Calvin Hughes.

Longtime New York-based drug reform activist Doug Greene died Tuesday evening in a subway accident on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was only 52.

According to police and media reports, Greene and fellow activist Todd Hinden had attended a George Clinton concert in Central Park, then parted ways as Hinden hopped on his bicycle and Greene headed down into the subway, where he fell onto the tracks.

Police reported that “a man was fatally struck by an A train after he fell onto the subway tracks on the Upper West Side Tuesday night,” adding that he was hit by “a southbound express train at the 72 St. station near Central Park West just before 10:45pm.” His identity was confirmed on Wednesday, and police confirmed “they did not suspect foul play.”

New Yorkers love to joke about its little brother New Jersey, ribbing any and all of that state’s shortcomings, but the pair are two peas on a pod when it comes to marijuana reform. Just as New Jersey did before, New York poised itself as the next state to legalize recreational marijuana but lacks enough support from lawmakers to do so.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo confessed this week that he doesn’t have the votes in the State Senate to push legalization forward. Cuomo previously had promised adult-use marijuana legislation for New Yorkers in 2019, but as the state’s legislative session comes to end, the governor says it probably won’t happen this year.

As the legal cannabis industry continues to evolve, activists and advocates around the country are working hard to ensure that the burgeoning industry is socially equitable.

It’s a struggle that unfolds along multiple intersecting lines, including race, gender, sexuality, class, and more. It’s also an important and increasingly urgent struggle.

Illinois lawmakers working to legalize recreational marijuana have hit a potential snag that other states have wrestled with: whether to allow people to grow a few pot plants for personal use.

The 10 states that have legalized recreational marijuana have different "home grow" rules, with Michigan allowing individuals to grow as many as 12 plants and Washington state not allowing them to grow any.

DID YOU KNOW? "As of July 1, 2015, Oregonians can home grow of up to four plants per residence, regardless of how many people live in the residence. Four adults in one residence does not mean 16 plants. The limit is four per residence," according to the State of Oregon.

As recreational marijuana shapes up to be a tough sell for New York lawmakers this session, there is one marijuana deal on the table that appears poised to move with little fanfare.

A bill introduced this month by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Sen. Diane Savino, both downstate Democrats, would make it a lot easier for patients to get medical marijuana in the state, following years of concerns about access from patients, providers and industry insiders.

Skiff, Amber and Kelley — State Police's three narcotics-dogs-in-training, all named after fallen troopers — have lived there with their handlers since February, learning how to sniff out drugs in a basement obstacle course that includes a simulated three-room apartment, complete with a kitchen.

On the wall is a whiteboard listing all the drugs the dogs are being trained to detect — heroin, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, meth and PCP, among them.