Program Updates from CCB:
April 3, 2023
Brief Summary: A couple big changes of note:
- The Cannabis Control Board (CCB) in New York approved 99 new Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses and permitted a new testing lab. Certainty Analytical Labs in Rochester is the 13th lab permitted for the state’s adult-use cannabis program.
- The temporary regulations have been extended for 120 days, giving the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) time to revise permanent regulations and go through a public comment period.
- Lastly, we have information pointing to the revised regulations coming from OCM on May 11. A 45-day comment period follows once those regs are published in the state registrar (assuming there are substantive changes and depending on when the OCM files them). Applications for cannabis licenses can then commence.
Schenectady Gets First Dispensary
Mar 31, 2023
Brief Summary: Upstate Canna Co. in Schenectady, the first cannabis dispensary in the Capital Region, held a grand opening ceremony on Friday before officially opening on Saturday. Initially, the store will serve walk-in customers, with plans to expand to delivery and online orders in the future. The dispensary sources products from local suppliers, such as Adirondack Hemp Company, Nightshade Farm, and Hudson Cannabis.
Update on Variscite Lawsuit and Regional Injunctions:
Mar 29, 2023
Brief Summary: The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals has narrowed the scope of a temporary injunction, allowing New York state to issue recreational marijuana licenses in previously enjoined regions including Central New York, the mid-Hudson region, western New York, and Brooklyn. However, the injunction remains in effect for the Finger Lakes region due to the ongoing lawsuit.
Gov. Kathy Hochul Proposes Crackdown on Illicit Shops
Mar 22, 2023
Brief Summary: Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a bill to amend tax, cannabis, penal, and criminal procedure laws to make “technical corrections” to adult-use cannabis taxes in New York. This legislation could impose fines of $200,000 for illicit plants or products and $10,000 per day for illicit businesses while granting increased enforcement authority to the Office of Cannabis Management and the Department of Taxation and Finance. Some applaud the move while others accuse the Governor of restarting the war on drugs.
New York State Assembly Urges Audit of Cannabis Program
Mar 22, 2023
Brief Summary: The New York State Assembly sent a letter of Governor Hochul which urged an audit of the state’s legal cannabis program, calling for a “comprehensive enforcement plan” to address illegal operators and the “delayed and dysfunctional” rollout.