The legalization of marijuana in New York continues to stall in the Legislature, but state lawmakers are hopeful a new bill can get things moving again. 

A revised bill to legalize marijuana was introduced this week by state lawmakers in the hopes of moving the issue forward before the session ends next month.

The bill is largely what Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed earlier this year — regulating retail marijuana sales, along with medical cannabis and hemp production under a new government agency. 

"I think what the governor proposed kind of makes sense [with the] Office of Cannabis Management. That would manage it all. It's essentially the same plant, but it has different properties. To me, it made sense to that," said Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D — Buffalo).

Revenue from the sale of marijuana would be used to aid communities affected by the war on drugs, bolstering public safety and studying drug use. But Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) says complications remain. 

"I think a lot of it has to do with how we're going to change the conversation, the economy, as well as prosecution around marijuana," Stewart-Cousins said.

And some lawmakers remain skeptical about legalizaton. Several county governments have signaled they would not allow marijuana businesses in their borders. And others question the effect marijuana legalization would have on traffic safety. 

"The conversations around marijuana and some of these things have come up before [and] are ongoing. I don't know if we'll have a resolution by the end of session, but obviously it's an issue people are paying attention to," Stewart-Cousins said.

Meanwhile, pro-legalization advocates like India Walton — a Buffalo resident who participated in a rally this week at the Capitol on the issue — are becoming impatient for a resolution.  

"I'm the mother of four little black boys. I'm just worried about their safety everyday. The impetus for police interactions being small amounts of marijuana is just something that's intrusive and invasive," Walton, a Drug Policy Alliance advocate, said.

And state lawmakers may be looking to neighboring New Jersey, where a marijuana legalization bill this past week was officially declared dead for the rest of the year.