According to rapper Jay-Z, marijuana legislation in the state of New York was “long overdue.”
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Corey Carter, said to Grio this past Friday, “I’ve seen firsthand the harm inflicted for generations against black and minority communities by the war on drugs right here in New York.”
Carter applauds New York’s passage of the Marijuana Legislation and Taxation Act.
“The news of cannabis legalization in New York is incredibly exciting,” Jay-Z said.
“It represents a long overdue opportunity for New Yorkers, for the cannabis industry, and for social equity and social justice. I’ve seen firsthand the harm inflicted for generations against black and minority communities by the war on drugs right here in New York.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said of signing the bill, “The bill creates automatic expungement of previous marijuana convictions that would now be legal. This is a historic day.”
It was this past October that Carter announced he would launch his own cannabis brand, Monogram, through the weed company Caliva. Caliva was later acquired by the Parent Company.
Jay-Z is the Chief Visionary Officer of the California-based Parent Company who is now looking towards the New York Market.
“Today, I’m proud to see my home state join the Parent Company in paving the way for a thriving and equitable cannabis market,” Jay-Z added.
The Parent Company and Roc Nation joined together this year to launch a national campaign that both challenged states’ preexisting marijuana laws. The campaign also gives black and other minority entrepreneurs equal opportunity to participate in the legal cannabis industry.
“Cannabis laws are out of date and disproportionately cruel and punishing when compared to the rest of the legal code,” Jay-Z had said in January. “We still don’t have proper regulation for texting and driving in Missouri, but staying home and smoking weed will get you locked up.”
