Fact-Finding Mission in New York
Legalise Cannabis Senate candidate for Victoria Fiona Patten is in the United States on a week long fact-finding mission to investigate cannabis legalisation in the state of New York.
New York legalised the medicinal use of cannabis in 2016, following with ending the prohibition for recreational use in 2020. The ongoing tour has highlighted interesting issues and impacts, both positive and negative, in how New York has tackled the implementation, according to Patten.
“There’s some great stuff going on here – using profits to tackle their housing issue stands out – and also some challenges,” Patten said.
“A plus side to Australia being so painfully slow with our own reforms, we get to benefit from having all these jurisdictions around the world going ahead of us which we can study, learn from and use.
“As part of of a Victorian Parliamentary Committee Inquiry, I visited the US in 2016 to see how cannabis legalisation was working. It is very interesting to see nine years on how it has changed and expanded with nearly 50 per cent of all American adults now having access to legal cannabis.”
Patten finds on fact-find mission cannabis funding social housing in New York
Patten’s investigation continues to take in a host of cannabis related businesses, industry associations, legal representatives and charities throughout New York including Housing Works, the state’s first legal dispensary.
“Housing Works is an impressive organisation operating dispensaries to fund a range of activities,” Patten said.
“A social housing and support charity – initially established in the early nineties to meet the housing needs of people with HIV and AIDS – they have grown to be an organisation that helps marginalised communities such as the LGBTI community, people leaving prison and people who use illicit drugs. They provide housing, support, training and employment. They run bookshops, cafes, op shops and now cannabis dispensaries.
“Housing Works received the first licence issued in New York and in the first three hours of opening turned over $US45,000! And all of their turnover goes back into helping people into housing and employment.”
New York has taken significant steps to use the legalisation reforms to make positive social changes, according to Patten, actively including those who previously suffered under prohibition.
“That’s thrown up some great stuff, such as financing housing, employment and social reforms, but also presented some challenges,” Patten said.
“There’s still a large number of illegal operators, but over the last two to three years they’ve reined that in significantly increasing legal dispensaries tenfold. Vertical integration is banned – one operation can’t farm, process, wholesale and retail – which is an area we’ll have to look at closely.”
The cannabis market in New York, a jurisdiction with a similar population to Australia, is estimated to be around $US7 Billion per annum. In 2022, the legal market represented just two per cent of turnover which has increased to 20 per cent and growing.
Patten also noted New York appeared to lag behind Australia’s legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use.
“The New York medicinal program, introduced at around the same time as Australia, was one of the most restrictive in the United States. Doctors cannot prescribe, they can only recommend, which as a someone who benefited from medicinal treatments during my recent battle with cancer seems a bit confusing. While we can learn a lot from the US experience, we can also share our own,” Patten said.
Patten’s tour of New York’s legal cannabis industry will continue through to Wednesday, Australian time.