Freshman Congressman: Some to agree with at State of the Union

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, President Joe Biden earned a mixed reception to his State of the Union address. The President's remarks on the opioid epidemic earned both jeers from Republicans and applause from Democrats.

Republican Freshman Congressman, Marc Molinaro, who represents the 19th District, explained he believes the President is willing to negotiate with lawmakers in the House and Senate to achieve his agenda. Molinaro also said he had hoped the President would go into more detail when discussing the current opioid epidemic. The President mentioned 70,000 Americans die a year due to Fentanyl, to which one republican shouted, "it's your fault." Biden did propose a "major surge" to stop fentanyl production, sales, and trafficking at the border, which earned applause.

Also this week, the State continued to develop the legal adult use recreational marijuana industry. Binghamton is now home to the state's third recreational shop after the first two opened in Manhattan late last year. Ryan McCall, a Lawyer with Tully Rinckey PLLC, explained that a significant barrier to more stores opening is a lack of real estate. He said landlords may be hesitant to rent space to businesses looking to sell recreational marijuana now, but that will likely change as the rollout continues.

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