New York legislature has passed the bill to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. The bill has been sent to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Now, it is just a signature away from becoming law.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has responded to the bill positively. The Democrat governor said that the legislation carries on New York's legacy of being the progressive capital of the US.

The NY Senate voted 40-23 in favor of the bill while the assembly voted 100-49.

Criminal justice reform groups and advocates for minority communities hard-hit by the decades-long war on Drugs have hailed the state's bill as particularly sweeping: New York would set a target of ensuring 50% of marijuana licenses go to underrepresented communities, and join a handful of states to automatically expunge past marijuana-related convictions, ABC7 reported.

"We have literally destroyed the lives of multiple thousands of people," Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said. "That's what's good about this legislation... We're going to turn around the lives of some of those people and help them to be able to take care of themselves, their families, and their communities."

"I'm driving this because I want people to be free from incarceration for a drug that people in their communities use every day," she said.

Marijuana will be available for sale, however, it will be heavily taxed. The legalization of marijuana could add tens of millions to the budget of the NY city alone.

Parents and Teachers Association of NY City has opposed the legalization saying the law is harmful to children.