"With this overdue action, thousands of Americans who saw their lives and livelihoods destroyed by a cannabis conviction are granted new, budding opportunity.
"This is a vital, welcome first step from the Biden administration, but it is a first step. We should move quickly to legalize cannabis nationwide, and prioritize reinvesting in the Black and Brown communities most devastated by its prohibition and unequal enforcement. Pardons are a critical solution in this moment, but as we have seen, full legalization is the only way to combat the massive disparities in enforcement that have burdened generations with criminal records and ensnared them in an unjust system.
"I’m proud of the work we’ve done to decriminalize, de-stigmatize, and ultimately legalize marijuana in New York, and further urge our state to be spurred by this new federal action to more quickly implement a just economy for legal marijuana sales."