Governor Andrew Cuomo Vows to Legalize Recreational Marijuana in New York. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that marijuana legalization was one of his missions this year during his 2021 State of the State address. . Specifically, Cuomo intends to create an Office of Cannabis Management to oversee the adult-use cannabis market. . He also intends to offer “licensing opportunities and assistance to entrepreneurs in communities of color.”. We will legalize adult-use recreational cannabis, joining 15 states that have already done so … This will raise revenue and end the failed prohibition of this product that has left so many communities of color over-policed and over-incarcerated, Andrew Cuomo, via Twitter. Cuomo believes that a new legalized marijuana program could accumulate $300 million in annual tax revenue. . In 2019, Cuomo signed legislation that decriminalized marijuana use in New York. . The legislation also expunged records for those who had been convicted of “certain marijuana offenses.”