New York Governor Signs Law Legalizing Recreational Marijuana

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Wednesday legalizing recreational marijuana, making New York the 15th state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis.

The state could quickly become one of the largest markets of legal marijuana in the United States, The New York Times reports. Under the new law, 40% of tax revenue from marijuana sales will be steered to minority communities with disproportionate numbers of marijuana-related arrests.

People who have been convicted of marijuana-related offenses that are no longer criminalized under the new law will have their records automatically expunged.

Effective immediately, adults 21 and older are permitted to possess up to three ounces of marijuana for recreational purposes, or 24 grams of concentrated forms of marijuana, such as oils. Adults will be able to smoke marijuana in public wherever smoking tobacco is permitted.

Marijuana smoking will not be allowed in schools, workplaces or inside cars. New York City will ban marijuana smoking in parks, beaches, playgrounds, pedestrian plazas and boardwalks.