Assemblymember Tremaine S. Wright will host a two-day "Cannabis 101" forum to inform the community about the future of cannabis in New York State on Friday, October 5 and Saturday, October 6 at Restoration Plaza in Bedford Stuyvesant.
"The cannabis industry is growing around the United States and New York State is seriously considering legalization," said Wright. "We have to get informed on the state of the law and prepared to participate in this potential economic boom."
The two-day forum will kick off with a panel discussion about cannabis and what a possible legalization could mean for New Yorkers on Friday at 6:00pm. Among the panelists will be State Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes who introduced the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in December 2013. If passed, this legislation would create the pathway for New York to regulate and tax marijuana for general use.
In May, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report on the financial and social impact of legalizing marijuana sales in New York, estimating a potential $1.1 billion marijuana market for NYC. Along with establishing a new stream of revenue, legalizing marijuana could reduce costs for public safety, help mitigate public health problems related to the opioid crisis, and help drive broader economic and social benefits, Stringer stated.
"I proudly support the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA)," said Wright. "I believe the MRTA provides us with the necessary tools to create a strong industry in our state."
Other panelists on Friday include representatives of Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez; Carl Andrews and Roberto Leslie of Clear Natural CBD; Yasmin Hurston Cornelius, president of the New York Minority Alliance, a nonprofit that calls for more diversity in the cannabis industry; Khalil Cumberbatch, associate vice president of policy at the advocacy organization The Fortune Society, and other community leaders.
An outdoor screening of Ava Duvernay's acclaimed documentary 13th, which gives an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality, will follow the panel discussion.
The conversation will continue with a host of talks on Saturday.To attend, please RSVP at https://brooklyn.tremainewright.com/cannabis_101 or call 718-399-7630.
Cannabis 101 - A Community Forum
When: Friday, October 5, 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Saturday, October 6, 10:00am - 4:00pm
Where: Restoratation Plaza,1368 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216
