Take it easy. Photo: Images Press/Getty Images On March 31, New York became the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana after a yearslong campaign to decriminalize the drug. The NYPD has instructed officers not to stop and arrest people if they see them smoking pot in public. New “No smoking of any kind” signs have sprouted along with daffodils and hyacinths along the boundaries of Bryant Park and Herald Square Park.
Police cannot arrest you for carrying a small amount of pot, and prosecutors are not going to run you through the system, according to a memo sent to NYPD officers. Cops can’t charge someone for selling marijuana unless they observe cash being exchanged, but it’s still illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana, and cops can pull you over for impaired driving.
So I can use it, but I can’t buy or sell it yet? Public officials suggest it could take 18 months before recreational marijuana is available in stores but some companies believe sales won’t start before December 2022. “There is no licensing of legal marijuana being grown or sold yet, hence if you buy it the way you always bought it, it’s still an illegal product,” said Manhattan state Senator Liz Krueger, who wrote the legalization law.
Some doctors may not be on board and refuse to register with the state for the program. Fortunately there are plenty of practitioners who endorse marijuana’s medicinal use and telemedicine has made it easier to connect with them. There are also virtual providers like PrestoDoctor and NuggMD who can help you get a medical marijuana card, but you’ll need your identification and proof of residency.
Can’t I just grow my own? The law allows you to cultivate up to six marijuana plants, three mature and three seedlings, or up to 12 per household if you live with another adult. However you can’t grow them right away. You have to wait six months after the law passed to start growing if you’re a medical marijuana patient. Everybody else must wait 18 months after the first adult-use dispensary opens to allow the market to mature.