New York regulators on Thursday advanced a rule to make it so people with prior marijuana convictions, or whose family members have been harmed by criminalization, will get the first round of adult-use marijuana retailer licenses—ahead of existing medical cannabis businesses.
The development is one part of what Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) administration is calling the “Seeding Opportunity Initiative,” which she also announced on Thursday.
The New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) unanimously voted to formally propose the retail regulations, which will soon be open for public comment. The “Equity Owners Lead Program,” as Hochul describes it, sets the state apart from others that have enacted legalization but faced criticism over a lack of promised results for communities that have been harmed by the drug war.
Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Executive Director Chris Alexander said earlier this week that he expects upwards of 200 “justice involved” applicants to receive the priority licenses under the proposal, with retailers potentially coming online by the year’s end.
During a virtual press briefing after the board’s meeting on Thursday, Alexander responded to a question from Marijuana Moment about potential criticism from existing medical marijuana businesses that have been operating in the state about being put second in line to receive adult-use licenses.
“Existing medical operators will absolutely be able to participate—but they knew and they supported the cannabis law” enacted last year, he said. “And the language included in the law that guides our actions today was that individuals who’ve been most impacted will be given priority as we build this adult-use market.”
“I think there’s definitely an avenue and a pathway forward for those existing operators—those folks who have been supplying the patients of the state of New York for some years and they will be able to participate,” Alexander said. “But equity will lead, and those who’ve been most impacted will go first.”
To qualify for the conditional license, an applicant would need to have been convicted of a cannabis-related offense prior to March 31, 2021, when the state’s adult-use legalization law was enacted. Those who have a “parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, or dependent” who faced such convictions would also be eligible, as would those who were themselves dependent on someone with a conviction.
“New York State is making history, launching a first-of-its-kind approach to the cannabis industry that takes a major step forward in righting the wrongs of the past,” Hochul said in a press release. “The regulations advanced by the Cannabis Control Board today will prioritize local farmers and entrepreneurs, creating jobs and opportunity for communities that have been left out and left behind. I’m proud New York will be a national model for the safe, equitable and inclusive industry we are now building.”
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Published on March 10, 2022
By Kyle Jaeger
Photo Credit:
Source : Marijuana Moment
Link to original : New York Regulators Unanimously Advance Rule To Let People With Marijuana Convictions Open Shop Before Big Businesses Can Enter Market
Amit Bansalpro
Commented 13 Mar, 2022
Thats darn good social justice. Money where their mouth it. I love it.