A State Senate hearing this week on New York’s legal cannabis rollout highlighted flaws in the system, including a proliferation of thousands of illegal pot shops operating across the state. The law to allow the regulated sale of adult recreational marijuana was approved in 2021. Since then, bureaucratic roadblocks and court injunctions have slowed the program. Only about two … [Read more...] about In hearing, Senators tell the state’s cannabis regulators they need to do more to close down illegal pot shops
New York
State Cannabis Agency Pauses Trials for Unlicensed Shops
The state Office of Cannabis Management has stopped holding trials where judges may recommend fines and other penalties for illegal sales — pausing consequences following its raids on unlicensed smoke shops. The state cannabis agency made that admission to THE CITY after repeated requests from a reporter to observe one of OCM’s enforcement hearings. The office attributed the … [Read more...] about State Cannabis Agency Pauses Trials for Unlicensed Shops
Traveler stashes pot inside her diaper — and sets off TSA checkpoint alarm, feds say
A woman wore a diaper hiding marijuana inside while passing through an airport security checkpoint — and set off an alarm, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA’s checkpoint scanner “alarmed on the woman’s groin” at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein wrote Oct. 27 on X, formerly known as Twitter. A subsequent … [Read more...] about Traveler stashes pot inside her diaper — and sets off TSA checkpoint alarm, feds say
New York Cannabis Office Releases Fact Sheet To Battle Misinformation About Weed, Fentanyl
The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) published a two-page report entitled “Cannabis and Fentanyl: Facts and Unknowns” to demystify the facts and myths of the two substances, specifically that of fentanyl contaminating cannabis. “The goal of this fact sheet is to provide evidence where it is available, to share information about what is currently known and unknown, … [Read more...] about New York Cannabis Office Releases Fact Sheet To Battle Misinformation About Weed, Fentanyl
A Budtender at NYC’s First Legal Pot Shop Is in Rikers on Pot Charges
Jamal George, 33, a budtender at Housing Works is currently being held in Rikers on cannabis-related charges in Pennsylvania. An employee of the city’s first legal marijuana dispensary is being held on Rikers Island on a cannabis-related felony charge in a striking example of how pot, despite being legal in New York state, can still drag people into the criminal justice system … [Read more...] about A Budtender at NYC’s First Legal Pot Shop Is in Rikers on Pot Charges
Popular Saratoga BBQ may soon share their lot with a marijuana dispensary
Saratoga Springs, NY — A new business looking to crop up in Saratoga Springs moved one step closer to construction this month. A special use permit was granted to Reverie 73 NY for a recreational adult use marijuana dispensary, the first in Saratoga County. The permit allows the business to operate in a new building proposed behind PJ's BBQ at 1 Kaydeross Ave. W. A sketch of … [Read more...] about Popular Saratoga BBQ may soon share their lot with a marijuana dispensary
Hudson Valley Cannabis News
October 23, 2023 – Let’s face it. New York’s rollout of legalized recreational marijuana dispensaries has not met the state’s expectations. Whether it was the federal lawsuit that challenged a system that preferred in-state applicants, or the state suit challenging the exclusion of disabled veterans as compared to justice-affected applicants, there have been a series, to be … [Read more...] about Hudson Valley Cannabis News
Middletown Police seize almost 100 pounds of marijuana from store
MIDDLETOWN – A warrant search of a business in the City of Middletown, Splash Infused, that sells tobacco and related products, turned up 95.6 pounds of vegetative marijuana, 3,000 other edible marijuana-based products, marijuana vape cartridges, packaging materials and associated paraphernalia. Police investigated with the city fire inspector was denied entrance to the store … [Read more...] about Middletown Police seize almost 100 pounds of marijuana from store
Program helps place formerly incarcerated into marijuana workforce
State officials estimate more than 60,000 marijuana-related jobs will come online by the end of 2025. The Criminal Justice Equity Initiative, also known as CJEI, is working to make sure people who were arrested on marijuana charges, in what was "the war on drugs," get some of those jobs as they become available. What You Need To Know State officials estimate more than 60,000 … [Read more...] about Program helps place formerly incarcerated into marijuana workforce
After troubled start, New York is shaking up its legal marijuana market with new competitors
RAVENA, N.Y. — New York officials launched legal recreational marijuana sales by promising many of the first retail licenses to people with past drug convictions, hoping to give people harmed by the war on drugs a chance to succeed before competitors crowded in. But more than nine months after sales started, only about two dozen state-sanctioned dispensaries have opened their … [Read more...] about After troubled start, New York is shaking up its legal marijuana market with new competitors
