The Point: Can New York's "disaster" cannabis program be fixed? Plus, talking scandal in the world of politics
The Point
The rollout of New York state's cannabis program, in the words of the governor, has been a disaster. Can it be fixed?
CBS New York's Political Reporter Marcia Kramer sat down with Mike Geraci, the first licensed adult-use cannabis processor in all of New York state. His all-in-one extracting and product manufacturing makes Pure Vibe gummies, Hysteria chocolates and Head Space pre-rolls, among many other cannabis products. So who better to talk about the program than a guy who's in the thick of it?
Kramer asked him about reports showing there are 80 to 85 legal stores compared to 2,000 illegal ones, which are often cheaper, too. He said it's about convenience for customers, but added the state has been working to open more legal shops.
"The [illegal stores] skirt a lot of the taxes. One of the biggest things is the taxes," he continued. "Plus, they're getting subpar products from out of state that don't need to meet a lot of the testing requirements that we have to go through. There's costs associated with those tests, and that's why we have to raise our prices."
Talking Points
Kramer was joined by THE CITY reporter Katie Honan and attorney J.C. Polanco to chew the fat about scandal in the world of politics.
Starting with the new details that came out this week about sexual assault allegations against Mayor Eric Adams, made by someone he worked with 30 years ago. How will this, and other ongoing investigations into the mayor's inner circle, impact his reelection campaign?
They also discussed another lawsuit filed by a former NYPD sergeant that accuses Adams' aide Tim Pearson of inappropriate behavior and preventing her from getting a promotion, along with claims of a possible coverup by other department officials.
Switching gears, they analyzed the likelihood of Andrew Cuomo returning to politics, and Sen. Chuck Schumer's recent comments about Israel.
Your Point
Do New Yorkers get a bad rap? Are they rude, rambunctious and pushy? Or kind and always ready to help? One thing's for sure, they're not short on opinions.
"The Point with Marcia Kramer" airs every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on CBS2, right after "Face the Nation." Then turn to CBS News New York at noon for "Exclamation Point," an extended conversation with our guests.