New York State has been named the marijuana arrest capital of the world. There are more arrests for possession of marijuana than any other state in the United States. Reform and legalization efforts have been in the works for years. More recently, however, is the movement seeing real legislative support.

Wednesday morning, Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Senator Liz Krueger held a public forum in the Buffalo Common Council Chambers in City Hall. The hearing discussed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. Advocates from all over Buffalo, Western New York and even from outside of the state, gathered in the Common Council Chambers to share testimony and support for the bill.

The bill would effectively legalize and regulate marijuana distribution and end the prohibition in New York State. Senator Krueger has traveled much of New York State advocating for the bill in similar hearings.

“We’ve done the hearing in Albany and New York City,” Senator Krueger said. “So, it is incredibly fitting that we do the hearing here in Buffalo.” 

Senator Krueger lists Colorado, Oregon, and Washington among the states who have ended marijuana prohibition, calling it a failure for the over 75 years it has been in place in the United States. Krueger presents the idea that this bill is no different than any of those states. 

“Marijuana prohibition has failed,” Krueger said. “and it has done so at the tremendous cost of our communities.” Krueger emphasized the fact that the “criminal” element of marijuana sales would be eliminated with this new bill. “Prohibition, creates violence.”

Kruger went into specifics of the bill, giving details about what liberties would be given if the bill passed. In addition to having the liberty to purchase 2 ounces of marijuana, New York State residents would also be allowed to grow up to six plants for, both for recreational use. No public use of marijuana would be allowed, however, counties would be allowed to setup bars for recreational marijuana use—just like regular bars that serve alcohol.

In addition, counties could also be “dry” and not have any marijuana dispensaries or bars for recreational use.

Krueger and Peoples-Stokes called for others in the audience to come and voice their opinions and discuss with them their own advocacy for the legalization of marijuana. 

Art Way, the State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Colorado, shared with the room his statistics based on Colorado’s model during the first year that non-medical dispensaries opened.

“Thousands of people in our state are no longer being arrested for possession of marijuana,” Way said. “The total number of charges following the reports for marijuana possesion, distribution and cultivation fell from over 10,000 to nearly under 2,000 from 2010 to 2014.”

In addition to that statistic, Way shared that—much like in New York State—there were racial disparities.

“In counties where we only made up 4 percent of the population, we—and when I say we I mean African Americans—we still somehow managed to be 30 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession.”

Way further shared that fiscally, Colorado spent between $60 to $80 million a year just on marijuana related crimes alone. That money, Way said, has been put into other uses since the legalization. Colorado brings in about $70 million in revenue thanks to it’s dispensaries. 

The war on drugs that most New Yorkers have had mixed into their culture for years, seems to have failed according to the adovocates at Wednesday’s hearing. 

“The war on drugs has been destroying communities of color for years,” John Washington of PUSH Buffalo said. “And in our city, it is clear that communities of color have been targeted.”

New York’s marijuana policies are broken, according to the public hearing. The need for reform goes beyond money. It goes into racial inequality and consequences for many. There is hope, however, that with Assemblymember Peoples-Stokes and Senator Krueger’s initiative, New York State will be a step closer to ending prohibition.