State Watch

Cynthia Nixon says she backs marijuana legalization: report

Former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, who is mounting a Democratic primary challenge against sitting New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, reportedly said at a fundraiser that she supports legalizing marijuana.

Nixon told guests at a private fundraiser that if elected she would work to legalize marijuana and tax it to raise money for the state, attendees told The New York Times.

Cuomo has been opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana and referred to it as a “gateway drug.” He has been supportive of a heavily regulated medical marijuana program.

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The roughly 70 attendees at Nixon’s fundraiser each donated $50 to Nixon’s campaign, the Times reported.

One attendee told the newspaper that Nixon was “exuberant” about legalizing marijuana and that she framed the issue around raising revenue for the state.

Since she announced her candidacy in March, Nixon has not been forthcoming about her policy positions and has instead focused on criticising Cuomo, who she has characterized as a “centrist and Albany insider.”

“Cuomo’s time in office has been defined by a string of indictments for corruption, his failure to fix the New York City subway, and his support for a backroom deal which handed Republicans control of the state Senate, resulting in the failure of numerous pieces of progressive legislation,” Nixon said in a statement announcing her bid.

Cuomo, who has been governor for two terms, currently polls far ahead of Nixon, according to a Quinnipiac poll from late March.