On January 11, 2018 three standing committees of the New York State Assembly held a joint hearing on the public health and criminal justice implications of the legalization of marijuana in New York. Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol, Chair of the Committee on Codes, extended an invitation to Bernstein Redo, P.C.’s Donald Bernstein to testify at that hearing to which a number of law enforcement, health professionals, and attorneys were invited. Mr. Bernstein spoke on proposed rules and legislation providing for the licensing of retail stores in New York that would be permitted to sell cannabis under the proposed law, analyzing its similarity with existing liquor laws and regulations and comparing it with existing legislation in other states, such as Colorado and Oregon. In response to inquiries by one of the bill’s sponsors, Assembly Member Chrystal Peoples-Stokes, Bernstein proposed and discussed changes to the pending legislation.