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Gov. Andrew Cuomo today signed a bill legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for people 21 and over in New York State, action that will be the subject of much debate until and following the new laws implementation, which is expected in about 18 months.

The Batavian reached out to local government representatives, substance use prevention professionals, hemp producers and retailers, law enforcement and the chair of the Genesee County Libertarian Party for their thoughts on New York becoming the 15th state with legal recreational marijuana.

Chris Van Dusen, president, Empire Hemp Co., Liberty Square, Batavia:

I think it is really exciting news. The legislation that they have come up with, I think is pretty fair and it doesnt cut out the potential for small businesses to get into the industry. I think it is a good plan, and the taxation is not too out of control on it.

I am looking forward to expanding our business into the rec market through another corporation that we will start not Empire Hemp Co. but we will plan on being involved in a processing capacity.

Van Dusen said the facility in Liberty Square is for processing where we turn all of the raw hemp into CBD oil and he is close to opening a retail store on Main Street.

When asked about the legislation having safeguards against marijuana getting into minors hands, he said he believes that a new Office of Cannabis Management will implement guidelines similar to what are in place for alcohol use.

And I think that a lot of the tax dollars will be going back into treatment programs and social programs, and that will be a benefit to the community as well, he said.

The law, which was passed on party line voting in the Democratic Party-controlled Assembly and Senate on Tuesday, calls for a 13-percent excise tax, with 1 percent going to the county and 3 percent earmarked for the municipality (town, city, village) of the dispensary.

The growers and the processors are going to get into it, theres going to be an upfront investment. But as far as the end user costs at the retail level, I dont think its going to be much outside what you are seeing in the other legal states as far as what you get for what price or, frankly, what you find on the black market. I think it hopefully will take more out of the black market having it regulated like this will allow for a cleaner, safer product thats regulated versus whats coming off the street imported from who knows where.

Batavia City Manager Rachael Tabelski:

Without having a chance to read the entire bill yet, I can safely say that if there were a dispensary within the City of Batavia, it is my understanding that the city would gain 3 percent of the tax revenue related to that dispensary.

That certainly is a brand-new revenue source but it is all hypothetical until you have one. I want to continue to read through the legislation and well be working with NYCOM (New York Conference of Mayors) the citys association. So, well wait and see what their guidance looks like. The local level does have some decisions to make in this. We dont have any decision-making on adult use, but we do have decision-making on whether the city allows for a dispensary and then we can regulate the times, place and manner through local zoning.

Whether Batavia has a distribution point in the city or not, people will now be allowed to use it per the regulations and guidelines that came out. If that is the case, it might warrant a legislative choice (by City Council) to be made or the choice to do nothing, and just let it happen. I certainly will be getting information to City Council to help them understand the legislation and how communities align with the legislation.

Theres growing, theres retail and theres use. No matter what happens with the growing and the retail, there is going to be use in our city. Its going to happen, in that, if we have the ability to bring in revenue, that may be an option for us. We certainly will have some growing pains associated with legalized use and, especially, kind of the edible product that might be included in this.

Shannon Ford, director of Prevention, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse:

From a Prevention perspective, Im very concerned about this.Legalizing marijuana will have a negative impact on our youth for sure.Although youth will not be able to use marijuana legally, we know there will be an increase in access if the adults in their lives are possessing and using it.

In addition, over the last couple of years, youth perception of harm of smoking marijuana has decreased.With more media messages and legalization/commercialization, I anticipate the perceived risk of harm will further be reduced. Both access and a decreased perception of harm will likely increase youth marijuana use.

As it is legalized for adult use where it will be monitored for purity, youth will still be seeking it on the streets, where we know there is a higher potential of risk.

Mark Potwora, Genesee County Libertarian Party chair:

My opinion -- and I would say it is the opinion of the Libertarian Party -- is that it is something that should have been legal a long time ago, and for some reason, what was not legal years ago is legal now. A lot of people suffered because of marijuana laws (on the books). A lot of families and 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids got a marijuana charge that kind of ruined their lives for a while.

The problem I have with the legalization of the whole thing is that theyre doing it for the wrong reasons. Theyre doing it because they want money. They want to raise revenue. Theyre not doing it because its the right thing to do. That kind of bothers me, but Im glad that theyre legalizing it.

Potwora compared marijuana use to alcohol use.

Its just like alcohol. It shouldnt be administered to young kids and there is an age limit. And, along the lines of medical marijuana -- which a lot of people have it is not a negative. Its probably a good thing. Whoever smokes marijuana or pot now, I dont think theyre going to create a whole new industry of pot smokers. If you didnt smoke it before because its so easy to get I dont see any big problem coming up that they arent already addressing.

He also said the current marijuana laws give police an in to search people.

They (police) say, Oh youre smoking pot. Come here, I want to pat you down. And they always took it farther and farther. This is one less thing for them to have a reasonable cause to mess with you, I guess.

Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Genesee Orleans Public Health educator:

Public Health has had a standing position in opposition of legalization of marijuana in New York State for several years.Our state association, The New York State Association of County Health Officials, officially has maintained opposition to legalized adult use of cannabis, based on the quantifiable adverse impact it will have on public health.

She then offered the following bullet points for consideration:

Jeremy Almeter and Pavel Belov, co-owners, Glass Roots, 12 Center St., Batavia:

"While today is certainly a step in the right direction, we are still far from declaring this our 'milestoned' moment. We at Glass Roots have been committed to destigmatizing and normalizing cannabis for over 15 years. By building trust and serving our community, we have seen there are no applicable stereotypes for cannabis usage.

Recreational cannabis is a misleading term; adult-use is what we are truly achieving today. This legislation specifically addresses and builds the foundation for an infrastructure, which ensures that cannabis products will be handled in a safe and secure manner from seed to sale.

The fight has just begun. Access to plants and the many benefits they offer us and our animal friends is a basic right. To all the people who grew up indoctrinated with lies that compare cannabis to heroin use or its gateway -- we are here to say the light at the end of the tunnel is upon us.

Moving forward, we plan on working closely with community leaders to cultivate a safe and educational environment for cannabis culture within Genesee County.

Glass Roots is an on-site glass-blowing facility that sells art pieces as well as CBD oils and other hemp products.

An email and phone call to Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron Jr. were not returned at the time of the posting of this story.

More about the todays legalization, called the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act:

Excerpt from:
Marijuana use debate takes new twist now that NYS has legalized recreational use for adults - The Batavian

WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration on Thursday welcomed a European Union announcement that the participants in the Iran nuclear deal will meet this week to discuss a possible return of the United States to the 2015 accord.

Fridays virtual meeting of officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran comes as the U.S. is exploring ways to rejoin the deal that former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. The State Department praised the meeting and said it would be watched closely by U.S. officials.

We obviously welcome this as a positive step and thats precisely because we have been clear for weeks now that we are ready to pursue a return to compliance with our (nuclear deal) commitments consistent with Iran also doing the same, spokesman Ned Price said. Its a positive step, especially if it moves the ball forward on that mutual return to compliance that weve talked about for a number of weeks now.

Earlier Thursday, the EU said one of its top diplomats, Enrique Mora, would chair the meeting. Participants will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the (nuclear deal) and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides, it said.

President Joe Biden has said the U.S. will to return to the deal if Iran comes back into compliance with it. Thus far, Iran has refused to entertain the offer unless the U.S. rescinds sanctions that Trump imposed on it. Iran already rejected an EU proposal for a meeting that included the United States. That proposal came in response to a Biden administration statement that it would accept an invitation to attend such talks.

Meanwhile, the State Department said it had extended a waiver that allows Iraq to continue to buy power from Iran without being subject to U.S. sanctions. penalties. The waiver was renewed for 120 days, an increase in shorter extensions that had become commonplace during the Trump administration.

Price said the extension was granted because of progress Iraq is making in developing its own electricity generation to reduce its reliance on outside sources of power. U.S. and Iraqi officials are resuming a strategic dialogue soon that places energy near the top of priorities and Washington hopes will ultimately allow Iraq to develop its energy self-sufficiency, and we hope to end its reliance on Iran, Price said.

In the interim, renewal of the sanctions waiver is appropriate, until the agreement and development of the Iraqi energy sector can be fully realized and implemented., he said. Price added that the U.S. believed the four-month extension was long enough for Iraq to take meaningful action to promote energy self-sufficiency and to reduce its dependence on expensive Iranian energy.

The Trump administration had only reluctantly approved such extensions because they ran counter to its maximum pressure campaign on Iran. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been granting the waivers but reducing their length to push Iraq to wean itself from Iranian electricity.

Continue reading here:
Biden admin lauds talks on readmitting US to Iran nuke deal - Associated Press

A senior European Union official has sounded the alarm over the rapid decline of Australias Great Barrier Reef while backing calls for all countries to make more ambitious cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.

The EUs commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, Virginijus Sinkeviius, told Guardian Australia he was deeply concerned by the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef. As long as we do not change our behaviours, things will not improve, he said.

Sinkeviius hopes Australia will sign up to the 84-country Leaders Pledge for Nature a document that calls for a green and just recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and stronger political will to act against the crises of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and climate change.

The leaders pledge backs the objective of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. That is a target the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has said is his preference, but he has resisted making a formal commitment amid divisions within his government over climate policy.

Sinkeviius spoke to Guardian Australia after the EU joined the International Coral Reef Initiative, a grouping of countries and organisations that aims to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems. Australia was one of eight governments that co-founded the initiative in 1994.

I am deeply concerned by the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef, Sinkeviius said. Perhaps no coral reef on the planet is better known, certainly here in Europe, than the Great Barrier Reef.

Sinkeviius said coral reefs in general, and the Great Barrier Reef in particular, were emblematic of rich marine life.

Yet the rapid degradation of these beautiful and essential underwater worlds is also a very stark reminder of the pressures that human activity is placing on our shared planet, not least our oceans, he said.

Coral reefs are under threat because of our activity as humans, our unsustainable ways of living, producing and consuming. As long as we do not change our behaviours, things will not improve. This is in our hands, and we must seize responsibility and rectify these negative impacts.

The world heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef is the worlds largest coral reef system but is under increasing pressure from climate heating that caused mass bleaching events in 2016, 2017 and 2020. A government report card released in February found the marine environment along the coastline remained in poor health.

Asked whether concerns about the Great Barrier Reef should help motivate all countries to increase the level of ambition in their greenhouse gas reduction commitments, Sinkeviius said: I would hope so.

He said the European Commissions European Green Deal included a pledge to make Europe the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050 a goal he described as ambitious, yet one that is absolutely necessary.

Sinkeviius said he had been happy to see its wider impact in engagements with partners around the world and had been pleased to see that China and the US had set deadlines for net zero emissions 2060 and 2050, respectively.

But he said it was also important to acknowledge that our emissions have already had an impact on climate.

Such impact will continue for decades, even if global and European efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions prove effective. Hence substantial adaptation efforts are therefore still required. Our cooperation in the International Coral Reef Initiative and other fora will remain essential in this regard.

Sinkeviius said the EU looked forward to close cooperation with Australia, currently a co-chair of the reef initiative.

He said the EU was already working with Australia on research initiatives, including providing at least 280m ($432m) over three years to a project led by the Institut de recherche pour le dveloppement in France.

The project, in partnership with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, is examining the genetic response of corals to ocean warming.

Sinkeviius said the EU and Australia were longstanding supporters of conserving the unique ecosystems and rich marine biodiversity of the Southern Ocean, including the reefs of cold-water corals and seamounts that form key habitats for an array of creatures found nowhere else on Earth.

The commissioner called for an ambitious agreement on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), due to be held in October in the Chinese city of Kunming.

The EU is pressing for ambitious, and where feasible, measurable and time-bound targets to effectively address the drivers of biodiversity loss.

Sinkeviius said the EU was striving for overarching objectives to galvanise support at the highest political level and among the wider public - similar to the 1.5C target for climate change.

We are at a turning point, and the upcoming COP15 must be the Paris moment for biodiversity, he said.

He said the UN Biodiversity Summit held in September last year was an important event to build momentum as well as to foster strategies to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic that are green and consistent with climate and biodiversity objectives.

The EU invites Australia to join the Leaders Pledge for Nature published in September 2020 and already endorsed by 84 countries, he said, referring to a pledge whose supporters include Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the EU also invites Australia to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which is raising the global ambition to achieve at least 30% protection of land and oceans.

The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, whose members comprise 57 countries or blocs including the UK and France, calls for that goal of protecting at least 30% of worlds land and ocean to be achieved by 2030.

Mobilising resources ahead of the COP15 will be of key importance and we also count on Australia to join international efforts to ensure adequate support to developing states, Sinkeviius said.

Australias minister for emissions reduction, Angus Taylor, told an international event late on Wednesday that Australia was firmly committed to getting to net zero as soon as possible and preferably by 2050.

But, Taylor said, Canberras focus was very much on the how of such a transition. The minister pledged $1m towards a clean energy transitions program overseen by the International Energy Agency.

Read the original:
European Union official sounds alarm over threats to Great Barrier Reef - The Guardian

Hungary has vaccinated more of its population than any other country in the European Union, but continues to be among the world's worst in the number of COVID-19 deaths per capita

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press

March 29, 2021, 12:37 PM

3 min read

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Hungary has vaccinated more of its population than any other country in the European Union, according to figures from an EU agency, but it continues to be one of the world's worst in the number of COVID-19 deaths per capita.

The Central European country has given at least a first dose of a vaccine to 21.6% of its population, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, just ahead of the small island nation of Malta and surpassing the 27-member bloc's average of 12.3%.

But Hungary's high vaccination rate, a product of a procurement strategy that secured doses from China and Russia in addition to those provided by the EU, has been unable to slow a surge in the pandemic that has given it the highest two-week mortality rate per capita in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, has been critical of the speed of the EU's vaccine rollout, and pushed for his country to break with the bloc and secure vaccine contracts with eastern countries. Hungary was the first in the EU to approve Chinas Sinopharm and Russias Sputnik V vaccines, boosting supplies and making it an EU leader in the number of distributed doses per capita.

Were in a very good position, right at the head of the queue, and both the Russians and the Chinese are delivering in a timely manner, Orban said in a radio interview on Friday.

Last week, Hungary issued emergency approval to two more vaccines Convidecia, a jab produced by Chinese company CanSino Biologics, and Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in India bringing the total number of approved jabs to seven, the most in the EU.

But while officials have emphasized that only rapid vaccine deployment can bring an end to the pandemic Orban said on Friday that "vaccination is our primary, our only means of defense against the virus Hungary's good standing has been unable to alleviate a third wave that has led to record-breaking new cases and deaths.

As of Monday, more than 20,000 people had died of coronavirus-related causes in the country of fewer than 10 million inhabitants, giving it the third-worst death rate per capita in the world.

While other countries in the region have imposed tough lockdown measures to bring their own surges under control, Hungary on the weekend published plans to loosen pandemic restrictions in coming days despite the spiking numbers, an effort to restart the economy in a country which saw a 5.1% drop in GDP last year.

I have no doubt whatsoever that in Hungary well have a summer of freedom, Orban said Friday.

According to the plans published Saturday in the government's official gazette, nonessential shops will be allowed to reopen with capacity limitations, and an overnight curfew in place since November will be shortened by two hours. The new measures will take effect once 2.5 million people have received a first dose of a vaccine, a government minister announced, which is likely to occur some time next week.

See more here:
Hungary first in European Union for vaccinations, and deaths - ABC News

Posted: Apr 2, 2021 / 02:14 AM CDT / Updated: Apr 2, 2021 / 02:14 AM CDT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen listens to a question during an online news conference at the end of a EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 25, 2021. European Union leaders struggled Thursday to solve quarrels about the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine shots as they tried to ramp up inoculations across their 27 nations amid a shortage of doses, spikes in new cases and a feud with the United Kingdom. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool Photo via AP)

BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union is struggling to show complete coronavirus vaccination solidarity among member nations, after a week of negotiations over the distribution of extra doses exposed fissures on Friday.

Five EU nations that struggled most to get their vaccination drive going were given extra doses from an alliance of 19 other countries. Three nations werent part of the deal, however, showing the difficulties of compromise politics when COVID-19 cases are surging again.

At an EU summit last week, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz criticized the allocation of shots in the 27-nation bloc, saying that some countries were receiving more than their fair share at the cost of others. EU leaders failed to agree on a correction mechanism, leaving it to their EU ambassadors.

Late Thursday, a deal was reached on how to distribute an early batch of 10 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses with Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia receiving a proportionally large number of doses. Austria, along with the Czech Republic and Slovenia, didnt get additional shots.

We are grateful for the remarkable efforts and solidarity of fellow EU member states, Latvian Prime Minister Krijnis Kari said. He said the extra shots will bring us closer to our common goal a collective immunity across the EU.

Under the joint procurement program set up by the European Commission, doses are allocated on a pro rata basis, but some nations are taking less than their share. A large majority of EU members think the system is working well, but said some nations made a mistake to focus on AstraZeneca shots instead of diversifying their vaccine portfolios.

AstraZeneca shots are cheaper and easier to handle than vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.

Overall, the EU continues to lag well behind nations like the United Kingdom and United States when it comes to vaccinations.

___

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EU nations struggle to full show vaccination solidarity - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com