What's the plan for the plants, governor?
What's the plan for the plants, governor? (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Six months after Gov. Cuomo ordered it up, his health department has released a report making the case for what we consider a moral imperative: ending the unnecessary and racially disparate enforcement of state laws banning marijuana possession and use.

Now Cuomo, whose approach to pot legalization to date has been cautious and reactive, must push hard to ensure that the state Legislature converts wishful criminal-justice-reform thinking into pragmatic legislation that builds on the lessons learned by other states.


No leading from behind on this one, gov.

The 70-page report looks at the nine states (and D.C.) that have legalized the substance for guidance on implementation — including dispensary licensing and regulating the products — and suggesting ways to mitigate possible side effects.

Fiscally, it includes a variety of scenarios for taxation and calculates that legalization could mean anywhere between $241 million and $677 million in tax revenues.

On the criminal justice front, the report recognizes the toll criminalization has had on communities of color.

It also recommends public education to address the possibility of addiction, which is smart: Legalization should not imply formal state endorsement.

Cuomo’s task is to choose smartly from the Chinese menu.

Build the infrastructure to regulate production and distribution. Generate revenue without fueling a new black market. Ban public smoking. Prevent driving under the influence.

End an era of needless arrests and prosecutions without creating a host of new problems.