By Melody Lee for Alternet

This week, State Sen. Liz Krueger introduced a bill to  tax and regulate marijuana for adult use in New York.

The bill would end the criminalization of adults 18 years and older who possess up to two ounces of marijuana and would create a regulatory system allowing for the retail sale of marijuana to those over the age of 21, much like the current system for regulating alcohol.

New York State is  estimated to spend approximately $675 million a year  enforcing marijuana possession laws. The vast majority of those arrested (85 percent) are Black and Latino, mostly young men, even though numerous government studies report that young white men use marijuana at higher rates.

Read more: Marijuana Policy in New York: Time for Change | Alternet.