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The governors of four states in the Northeast convened on Thursday for a summit on how to best move forward with plans to legalize marijuana and to discuss vaping-related issues.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) organized the meeting. They were joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who came out in favor of legalization last month. Representatives from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Colorado also attended.

“This is a very important topic,” Cuomo said in his opening statement. “It is probably one of the most challenging issues that I know I’ve had to address in the state of New York. It is complicated, it is controversial and it is consequential. That is a very difficult and challenging combination.”

A big welcome to @GovNedLamont, @GovMurphy, and @GovernorTomWolf​ who are joining me for the Regional Cannabis and Vaping Summit.

Great that leaders from RI, CO, and Mass. are here also.

Can't wait for what will be a very meaningful policy discussion.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 17, 2019

“It’s consequential because if you do not do it right, you can do harm, and the whole purpose here is to do good,” he said.

The summit is being broken up into five sessions: on vaping and related issues, market regulation and social justice issues, public health consequences of cannabis, public safety issues and a “best practices” panel led by Colorado representatives.

“The point is, this is a challenge for all of us,” Cuomo said. “There’s a desire to do this. The people of this state and our surrounding states have a desire to do it. But the devil is in the details. How you do this is all the difference. As I said, it can be a positive if done right, or negative if not done correctly.”

Lamont, who also talked cannabis with Cuomo during a fishing trip in August and again during a meeting last month, said the current “patchwork quilt” approach that states have taken to marijuana regulations is “unconscionable” and emphasized the need for regional coordination.

Today I'll be meeting with @NYGovCuomo of #NY, @GovMurphy of #NJ, @GovernorTomWolf of #PA, and officials representing #RI and #MA to discuss the emerging health concerns of vaping, as well as opportunities to legalize and standardize recreational marijuana on a regional basis. pic.twitter.com/P9bkAjZWGV

— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) October 17, 2019

“This makes sense: sitting down, working together, working together with New Jersey, working with Pennsylvania and our other neighbors to make sure that what we do, we do it on a standardized basis, we do it on a well-regulated basis with health and safety paramount,” the governor said. “I think we’re much stronger when we work together and that’s what this meeting is all about.”

Wolf noted that his administration had recently concluded a statewide listening tour to hear from residents about proposals to legalize cannabis and said that based on that input, “we need to bring this into the open.”

I’m in NYC with @NYGovCuomo, @GovNedLamont, @GovMurphy, and other state leaders to talk about vaping and cannabis.

Thankful for the opportunity to have this meaningful policy discussion so we can better serve our citizens and keep them safe.

— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) October 17, 2019

“We need regulation, we need to make sure we’re protecting public health, public safety. But that’s regulation, not prohibition,” he said. “It’s also really important that we work together as a region to make sure that we’re on the same page.”

Murphy emphasized that “doing things in an intelligent, coordinated, harmonious way is good for the entirety of not just our states but our residents.” He added that there are two main issues the leaders must tackle: combating the spike in vaping-related injuries and promoting social justice.

Our states are stronger when we work together. Join me live at the Regional Cannabis and Vaping Policy Summit with @NYGovCuomo, @GovernorTomWolf, and @GovNedLamont as we work to align our policies on adult-use marijuana legalization and vaping.https://t.co/aWlGehcNWA

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) October 17, 2019

“We’ve got a shocking gap between persons incarcerated in our system along racial lines, and it’s almost entirely due to low-end marijuana offenses,” he said. “Putting aside all of the other factors that come into the cannabis discussion, the social justice, at least in New Jersey, screams out at us and it’s why we’ve come to the table with such passion.”

Following the statements, panels led by experts were invited to testify about their respective cannabis and vaping-related topics for five minutes and then answer questions. While the governors’ opening statements were livestreamed online, the discussion sessions were closed to press.

The governors each represent states where lawmakers have unsuccessfully attempted to legalize marijuana. Efforts stalled in New York following months of negotiation between Cuomo and the legislature, with disagreements centering on issues such as tax rates and how revenue would be earmarked.

Despite several successful committee votes and hearings on legalization legislation in Connecticut, legalization legislation didn’t reach the floor of either chamber.

In New Jersey, bids to legalize cannabis for adult use failed, with lawmakers suggesting they might advance the issue through a referendum for voters to decide on next year.

Pennsylvania lawmakers discussed a legalization bill during a joint Senate and House Democratic Policy Committee in April, but that did not materialize either. However, following the listening tour and with the backing of Wolf, a comprehensive piece of legalization legislation that was introduced on Tuesday is believed to stand a better chance.

Pennsylvania Senators File Comprehensive Marijuana Legalization Bill

Photo courtesy of YouTube/Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The post Governors Of Four Northeastern States Hold Summit To Coordinate Marijuana Legalization Plans appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

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