Legalized cannabis in New York moved another step closer after a study commissioned by Gov. Andrew Cuomo showed a promising path forward for the Empire State with legalized cannabis. While a fairly stringent marijuana law has allowed for medicinal cannabis since 2014, Governor Cuomo had still been a staunch opponent of outright legalization as late as last year.

However, as seen in California with Dianne Feinstein, a political challenger likely spurred Cuomo into action. Cynthia Nixon, the Democratic challenger to Cuomo in the NY primaries and also late of hit show “Sex and the City,” has made legalized pot a central point on her campaign platform and has called out Cuomo on numerous occasions in the press. Additional pressure for New York to legalize, too, comes in the form of Massachusetts legalizing recently and New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy calling for the Garden State to go legal. New York legislators surely are not blind to the economic advantages made available with legalization and, facing a reality where Massachusetts and New Jersey (to say nothing of Vermont or other states) could lap them forces them to recognize the opportunity.

Still, the study and its positive outlook on what legalized cannabis in New York could do for the state and its economy is only one of several hurdles to be cleared. For a state that’s routinely one of the bluest, New York surprisingly has Republican majority in the state senate. Those senators will have to be convinced one way or the other, or maybe not. November elections have the potential to tilt the senatorial seats to a Democrat majority and then, well, things could move more rapidly. Whatever the case turns out to be come November, New York City’s Bill de Blasio wasted no time in announcing that as of September 1, 2018, “the city that never sleeps” will become “the city that never arrests (for marijuana charges.” It’s a measure that has taken far too long in the eyes of many New Yorkers, the Big Apple has infamously disproportionate arrest rates for people of color when it comes to pot charges.

With the state-endorsed study and new policies being embraced by NYC, New York legalization is no longer a question of if, but when; and when that happens they’ll surely need compliance and regulation experts. We’ll be waiting for the call, New York.