ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The fight to legalize marijuana continued Saturday, as lawmakers and members of the community came together for a workshop to discuss its benefits.

The workshop was held in the Empire State Plaza Convention Center and activist/former talk show host Montel Williams was the guest speaker.

A part of the New York Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators Conference, the workshop focused on how legalizing marijuana could help reduce the mass incarceration and opioid problems in our state and even the country.

Montel Williams is an example of someone who has benefited from marijuana use.

Having multiple sclerosis, he says the drug is the only way he can get through the pain.

But, he feels this drug can do much more than help people medically and that it needs to treated and regulated like alcohol.

“I just said alcohol. I said opioids. I said marijuana. Not one death in the history of the world, not one death from cannabis use,” Williams said.

Currently state lawmakers have proposed a bill that would legalize marijuana by taxing and regulating it like we do alcohol.

They’re hoping to get it passed this year.