Local News for April 10, 2023

Local News for April 10, 2023

Ithaca Common Council Approves Public Safety Reform Plans

The Ithaca Common Council voted last Wednesday to adopt the recommendations in the Reimagining Public Safety report. The Ithaca Voice reports that some changes include creating an unarmed response team, hiring a deputy city manager to head civilian oversight of the police department, and establishing whistleblower protection for police officers. The changes were initiated in 2020 when then-governor Andrew Cuomo required all municipal law enforcement agencies to review and reform their policies.

It’s Still Not Legal To Grow Marijuana For Personal Use 

This Spring marks the third growing season since marijuana was legalized in New York state but it’s still illegal to grow pot for personal use. The Albany Times Union reports that is because legal home cultivation can’t begin until two things happen. The state’s Office of Cannabis Management has to establish regulations for home growing and those can only be created within 18 months after retail sales begin. The first retail sales didn’t take place until December last year. That means growing your own might not be legal until July 2024.