Mayor Eric Adams is looking to make major investments in the cannabis industry for the city.
Adams recently said he is exploring the possibility of growing cannabis on the rooftops of New York City's public housing.
This is just one of the major steps the mayor is taking to welcome the cannabis industry in the city. He says he’s proposing $4.8 million investment toward helping grow this industry.
New York state officially legalized the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana in March of last year. Since then, Gov. Kathy Hochul approved the state's first licenses to grow adult-use marijuana, handing out 52 licenses to people convicted of marijuana-related crimes or their families just last week.
The mayor wants the investment to be used in part to support businesses as they navigate the process of getting a license. When it comes to growing cannabis farms on the roofs of NYCHA houses, the mayor says he would employ housing authority residents to oversee the rooftop greenhouses.
The mayor says these new changes will prioritize Black and brown communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.