Three people have been arrested for criminal possession of cannabis in Norwood, police said.

 

On Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 4.11 p.m., at Jerome Avenue and Mosholu Parkway, police officers from the 52nd Precinct observed a vehicle with what were described as excessive window tints. “Upon attempting to stop the vehicle, the vehicle fled the scene,” a police spokesperson said.

 

Police said the driver subsequently lost control of the vehicle and hit a pole. “The vehicle contained over 10 pounds [160 ounces] of marijuana,” the spokesperson added.

 

Marcus Vasquez, a 27-year-old man, Jonathan Rosado, a 28-year-old man, and Shanel Nunez, a 30-year-old woman, were each charged with criminal possession of cannabis. It is legal for adults, 21 and older, to possess up to three ounces of cannabis, and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use under New York law.

 

As reported, under the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), which was signed into law on March 31, 2021, the cannabis industry will be regulated and administered in New York State by a ten-member Cannabis Control Board (CCB). The board will oversee the distribution of licenses to individuals looking to start cannabis-based businesses.

 

It will also ensure that tax revenue generated by cannabis sales, which are projected to generate up to $350 million annually and potentially create up to 60,000 jobs, will be invested back into the communities which have been most impacted by over-criminalization for cannabis-related offenses. Officials say the tax revenue will be distributed to the community through non-profit organizations and select government agencies and will prioritize people with prior cannabis convictions.

 

As reported, in July, the Bronx Defenders, The Bronx Community Foundation, along with U.S. senate majority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), and Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, joined Bronx community leaders and advocates, including the Drug Policy Alliance, Mothers on the Move, 1 Freedom For All, TakeRoot Justice, and All That Jive NYC, to announce the launch of The Bronx Cannabis Hub.

 

The Bronx Cannabis Hub is a resource designed to give Bronx residents, who advocates say have been harmed by decades of cannabis prohibition, the means to participate in the new, legal cannabis industry. A project of The Bronx Defenders, in partnership with The Bronx Community Foundation, the Hub also aims to work in coalition with Bronx-based community organizations to educate, engage, and advocate for Bronxites in the cannabis industry.

 

The launch followed a Bronx Cannabis Forum held in June, as reported, which aimed to tackle various open questions surrounding the emerging cannabis market in New York State, further to the passage last year of the MRTA. The forum was overseen by a panel of experts, government officials and legislators, and attended by various interested parties.

 

As also reported recently, a Brooklyn man pled guilty on Aug. 26, to the murder of a Wakefield man in 2014 during a cannabis deal. Meanwhile, on Oct. 7, police confiscated an illegal week truck operating in Fordham Manor.