A new analysis from the Rockefeller Institute of Government estimated that a legal adult-use marijuana industry in New York state could generate up to $4 billion in economic activity and support up to 30,700 jobs annually.

“As state lawmakers debate whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use and given the challenges with federal restrictions, it is critical to present an evidence-driven roadmap for developing and regulating the industry,” Jim Malatras, president of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, said in a news release.

The new analysis projects economic impacts based on a recent report by the New York State Department of Health that estimates the market size of adult-use marijuana in New York to be between $1.7 billion and $3.5 billion, as well as economic-development data from states that have already legalized the drug.

The findings include the following:

• Based on conservative market-size estimates, traditional multiplier analysis finds the recreational marijuana industry would generate at least $3.2 billion in economic output and support 23,747 jobs

• Using marijuana-specific multipliers, the potential economic impact would be more than $4 billion with 30,731 jobs supported

• New York should expect a temporary economic boost from the large-scale investments made shortly after legalization

The analysis also addresses the unknown effects of municipalities opting out of the industry — as of April 2019, Suffolk, Nassau, Rockland, Putnam, and Chemung counties were considering legislation to opt out and were considered likely to ban sales in the event of legalization — as well as the potential effects of legalization in workplaces that enforce drug-free policies. The Rockefeller Institute says an upcoming analysis will examine the fiscal impacts on the state through tax and licensing revenue.

Laura Schultz, director of fiscal analysis and senior economist at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, wrote the report. It is available at: https://rockinst.org/issue-area/the-economic-impact-of-developing-the-adult-use-cannabis-industry-in-new-york.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government is the public-policy research arm of the State University of New York.

SYRACUSE — The Crouse Health Foundation continues its work to raise funding for an upcoming renovation and expansion of neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) at Crouse Health.

Kinney Drugs Foundation has pledged $250,000 to the CrouseCares campaign in support of the NICU project.

The Crouse Health Foundation says it plans to raise $10 million through private gifts to the CrouseCares campaign to support the $31 million NICU expansion and renovation project. The plan is to raise the funds by the end of 2020.

With the $250,000 Kinney Drugs Foundation pledge, the Crouse Health Foundation has raised more than $1.8 million toward the $10 million fundraising goal, Cheryl Abrams, director of communications and digital media at Crouse Health, said in an email response to a CNYBJ inquiry. 

Crouse Health doesn’t plan to start working on the project until it has raised the necessary funding, Robert Allen, VP of communications & government affairs at Crouse Health, added in an email.

Crouse Health in 2018 announced plans to expand its regional NICU to provide more space for “parents to bond with their fragile newborns,” for equipment, and for monitoring and treating critically ill infants. 

A team of neonatologists, nurses, and pediatric specialists from the Crouse NICU annually care for more than 1,000 babies from 14 counties across upstate New York. 

The renovation and expansion of the NICU is a “priority” project of the CrouseCares campaign, which has surpassed $16 million in donations to support capital projects and initiatives at Crouse.

About the Kinney Drugs Foundation

Established in 2002, the Kinney Drugs Foundation annually holds events to “benefit local charities and local families and provides assistance, donations, and care to thousands of families in upstate New York and Vermont,” as described in the Crouse Health Foundation news release. To date, the Kinney Drugs Foundation has provided more than 

$11 million to various national organizations as well as their local chapters, per the news release.

The Kinney Drugs Foundation is the philanthropic arm of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., which is based in Gouverneur in St. Lawrence County. KPH Healthcare Services includes the  Kinney Drugs regional drug store chain, as well as three commercial businesses, including ProAct Pharmacy Benefits Management, HealthDirect Pharmacy Services, and Noble Health Services. 

CENTRAL SQUARE — U-Haul Company of New York and Vermont, Inc. announced that Blue & White Storage has signed on as a U-Haul dealer to serve the Central Square area.

Blue & White Storage, located at 1 Luther Road in the town of West Monroe, will offer U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, moving supplies, and in-store pick-up for boxes. Normal business hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, and on-call Sunday.

Blue & White Storage’s principals are Baynard G. and Baynard E. Charpentier, according to a U-Haul news release.  

A new state task force will develop programs for training auto technicians and enabling participants to directly transition into the industry.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on April 20 announced the “Excelsior Automotive Technician Task Force” at the opening of the New York International Auto Show.

Cuomo directed the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to take the lead in organizing the task force. The group will also “strive to create opportunities to enhance diversity within the industry,” according to a news release from the governor’s office. 

“One of the things we’re going to do here in this state is change our education system, where the State University of New York [SUNY] is going to offer specialized training in tandem with the manufacturers so that you can go to school and come out as a Nissan-certified technician or a Honda-certified technician or a BMW technician,” Cuomo said. “We have over 75,000 technician jobs that are good jobs, high-paying jobs, and we want to educate New Yorkers for those jobs right here in New York. This new task force will set us on that path.”

Many current vocational programs offer a generalized technician program, but training that is more specific could better help students and companies, the state says. Typically, auto manufacturers require a “unique” training program to teach prospective technicians how to work on their vehicles. This work is currently happening at several SUNY schools where they are working with automotive companies like Subaru, Tesla, and Toyota.

“We applaud Gov. Cuomo for this innovative approach to strengthen New York’s competitive edge in training workers for the jobs of tomorrow,” Mark J.F. Schroeder acting DMV commissioner, said in the news release. “We look forward to working with all stakeholders to create a positive program that will benefit students and industry and ultimately the people who buy and drive cars.”

Areas of focus

The task force will convene stakeholders from the automotive, labor, manufacturing, and academic arenas to address several areas in the marketplace. 

Those areas include improving the current automotive-technician curricula at the secondary and higher-education levels to “ensure it is keeping pace with technology.” 

The group will also “identify and improve” current training models and facilities to “ensure they reflect modern workforce needs.” 

Its effort will also seek to “replicate and scale” best practices and educational models to reach dealers and potential technicians in online space.

In addition, the group will also work to “develop and implement” professional-development programs for teachers and college professors to “ensure they are aligned with market needs.” 

The marketplace areas also include creating new veteran and women-specific campaigns to “broaden the diversity” of the workforce, develop and invest in new re-training programs and apprenticeships to enable new and older workers to continue their careers, and explore options with prisons to create an automotive-technician reentry program, per the release.