The Democratic-led government in the state capital Albany said yes to the proposal with a substantial majority and Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that he intends to sign the law soon.
- Through a legal system ... we ensure that the substance is safe, from seed to sale, says state senator Liz Krueger, who pushed for the legislation, according to the newspaper USA Today.
May have six plants
In practice, the new rules mean that people over the age of 21 can buy, possess and transport certain amounts of marijuana legally, that cannabis can be sold in club-like lounges and that private individuals can grow up to six plants for their own use, writes The New York Times.
A cannabis authority will now be created and a set of rules for production, distribution and sales will be developed.
It is expected to be in place in a year.
The law also hopes that state politicians will address another problem, namely that marijuana-related police interventions hit minority groups unreasonably hard.
As many as 94 percent of the arrests made in New York City last year were against blacks or Hispanics, so-called Hispanics, according to a study by the city's police that the public service channel NPR reports.
In a statement, Governor Cuomo said he hoped the law would do "marginalized groups justice".
Money for schools
Cannabis is drug-classified and illegal at the federal level in the United States.
The new rules have been met with protests from, among others, the state's medical community and Home and School - like groups.
When the cannabis system is in place, it is estimated to generate $ 350 million annually in tax revenue for the state, equivalent to $ 3 billion.
40 percent of these will go to schools, 40 percent to a fund for social justice and 20 percent to treatment and education about drug abuse, according to media.