Governor Cuomo vowed to make legalization a priority during his State of the State address in January. But those plans came to a screeching halt in March with the spread of COVID-19. 

On March 31, Governon Cuomo stated that the spring legislative session was “effectively over” after several state lawmakers tested positive for the coronavirus.

And while lawmakers came back in June, it was to address more pressing COVID related problems that the state and the public were facing.

While legalization may no longer be possible in 2020, many government officials and private citizens see cannabis as a possible solution to a pending budget crisis that many states, not just New York, will face. But marijuana legalization may not be the only source of revenue. State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, D-Bronx, hypothesized that:

“We are going to pass some form of legalization, and you know what, when you consider the incredible deficits that we are going to have as a result of corona, all revenue streams are going to have to be considered … including gambling, online gambling and things of that nature.”