In recent weeks, several women came forward to make sexual assault and harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York. Cuomo is known for being a bully. Cuomo has been accused of bullying by many political opponents. However, these new allegations are even more concerning than him standing on a podium and making snide remarks about people with whom he disagrees.
Cuomo could lose his political career but he is fighting back against his accusers. Cuomo is a politician and will not give up without fighting. It’s fascinating to consider what this means for his constituents, especially those who are clamoring for legal recreational marijuana.
The Allegations
If you are facing false accusations, like Cuomo claims, then hopefully the truth will emerge. If there is no evidence to support their claims, the accusers will need to retract or face long-term consequences.
However, if the evidence supports the accusations, that could and should impact the person who committed those acts. Cuomo seems to have done at least some of the things his accusers claim.
The accusations include inappropriate sexual questions and unwanted touching. One woman claims that Cuomo kissed and rubbed her without her consent. This goes beyond sexual harassment and assault, and the legal system must take this seriously.
Although a forced kiss may not be as severe as rape, it is still a horrible act. Cuomo should resign if he is guilty. It will be difficult to prove that Cuomo did exactly what these women claim.
What does this have to do with legal weed?
Legal weed is here to help. New York is behind many other states in the region that have legalized recreational marijuana.
New Jersey recently legalized marijuana and should be able to receive a tax revenue injection. New York could certainly use one, especially considering has decimated its economy statewide.
New York State legal weed will allow anyone who wants to get high in the state of New York to do so. It will allow people with various medical conditions to use legal weed.
For a long time, Governor Cuomo opposed legal recreational marijuana. Cuomo was actually fighting the tide. He had to understand that while he may find the whole topic distasteful, more people wanted it than he did. He would likely lose if he opposed it at the next election.
The Future Now
Cuomo made statements prior to this year in which he indicated that he would support legal marijuana if New York’s legislative bodies could draft a bill that everyone could approve. It has been difficult to come up with one. This is because both up- and down-state New York politicians have presented different ideas for how to spend the tax money legal weed will bring in.
In the last few days, legislators and Cuomo have created a bill that seems to be universally acceptable. Legislative votes are expected to take place in the next week.
This could allow people to go out on weekends and party. But, this is more important: Communities of color who are subject to high marijuana possession arrest statistics will begin to see equality.
It is not surprising that Cuomo would choose to support a legal marijuana bill, after being hesitant about previous ones. Cuomo needs a major political win now.
Last thought
It is possible that the Governor will use the momentum of this accomplishment to fend off the wolves who are calling for his resignation. Although legal marijuana does not directly impact his guilt, he may feel that he could rekindle some public support if he can boast about his political accomplishments.
Since there is no evidence of direct sexual assault or harassment other than hearsay, it is possible that Cuomo will weather this storm. The Governor might be forced to resign due to mounting pressure. New York, and all of the country, can only wait and see what happens.
