Adirondack Hemp Co Superboof for sale at Upstate Canna Co. earlier this year.
ALBANY — After the state settled two lawsuits regarding the cannabis industry earlier this month — ending a months-long pause — regulators voted Friday to allow six medical marijuana companies to begin adult-use recreation sales.
The state’s Cannabis Control Board voted last Monday to settle two lawsuits after a four-month pause. During a town hall meeting last week, state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Executive Director Chris Alexander called the pause a “trying time for all of us, for the entire New York cannabis community.”
“This was always going to be a difficult and trying fight to make sure that we make good on the promise of the [Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act],” Alexander said. “And I’m so, so thankful for the tenacity that you all have demonstrated, but I’m also thankful for the fact that you all haven’t stopped trying to become better advocates, both for yourselves and for the industry that we’re building.”
The lawsuits paused the state’s ability to issue new dispensary licenses and prevented licensees from opening new stores. The state explored several avenues to avoid the pause, including a “Cannabis Growers Showcase,” (CGS) an initiative that allowed licensees to showcase and sell cannabis products. Last month, in front of the future Royale Flower Cannabis store, a growers showcase became the first site in Albany to sell cannabis. The showcase initiative is set to expire at the end of the year. More than 60 CGS were approved throughout the state.
Since then, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday the opening of two adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the Capital Region. That same day, Capital District Cannabis and Wellness in Albany opened at 997 Central Ave. In Troy, 420 Bliss opened on Thursday at 740 Hoosick St.
“New York State’s legalization of cannabis was a much-needed step to end the social and racial injustice of the criminalization of marijuana, and that is why the City of Albany has worked tirelessly over the past two years to prepare for the opening of our first cannabis dispensaries,” Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said in a statement. “Our Cannabis Advisory Committee helped solicit feedback, inform, and shape cannabis regulations at the municipal level including the time, place, and manner of adult-use retail dispensaries and on-site consumption licenses, public education, and protection of community health and safety through the lens of social and racial equity.”
The state’s Cannabis Control Board, during a meeting on Friday, also voted to allow six medical marijuana companies to sell recreational marijuana, including multi-state operators — a shift that has previously made local stakeholders concerned, as they are worried large companies could flood the market. These companies are not allowed to open until Dec. 29.
Cannabis tax attorney Paula Collins, who said she was in Albany to attend the opening of Capital District Cannabis and Wellness, asked the board during the meeting to remember constitutional rights when it comes to compliance and enforcement of the unlicensed industry. Hochul’s office has routinely sent out releases over the last several months announcing the crackdown on illegal shops.
“It would be tragic if New York enforcement agents acted unconstitutionally against a largely immigrant and first-generation population of shop owners, many of whom, by the way, are justice-involved.” Collins said as she addressed the board, “and even more tragic if these unconstitutional acts were justified by needing to uphold CAURD licensees, many of whom experienced depravations [and] have the same constitutional rights and due process in order to qualify for the license. We need to break this cycle of injustice surrounding the plant, and I believe OCM is sincere in that commitment.”
Collins added she believes it is not illegal shops that have caused setbacks for the industry, but policy missteps by the state.
During the town hall, Alexander addressed those setbacks and explained to stakeholders how the agency is hoping to expedite the process to get more licenses issued and businesses up and running. He also asked licensees to update the agency on where they plan to open their stores, since some may have dropped leases or made changes due to the injunction. Once a lease is acquired, OCM must then evaluate the locations of the potential stores.
“I want to give you the hard truth today. When we set out to launch the card program, the goal was to give you all a significant amount of run time to get your businesses off the ground, to secure locations and to get operational first. Due to the injunction, we are in a different place. But, you all still do have licenses in what will be the greatest cannabis market in the country, but it requires you all to get open,” Alexander said. “And so, we’re in a different place a little bit, and that’s okay. I know you all will still be successful with the right support and that’s what OCM is here to provide.”
H/T: www.dailygazette.com
