new york cannabis licensing

New York Cannabis: License Number Estimates

During New York’s Cannabis Advisory Board’s meeting on September 26, 2023, the Office of Cannabis Management’s (OCM) Executive Director Christopher Alexander revealed that the OCM anticipated issuing “over a thousand, closer to 1,500 licenses” as part of the initial licensing window that is currently scheduled to open on October 4, 2023. As referenced in this

first amendment challenge

More New York Cannabis Program Litigation: First Amendment Challenge to Third-Party Website Rules

On September 18, 2023, a new lawsuit was filed by, inter alia, Leafly Holdings, Inc. (“Leafly”) against the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (“OCM”) and New York State Cannabis Control Board (the “Cannabis Control Board”). The lawsuit This legal proceeding involves a First Amendment and other challenges to certain regulations adopted by the Cannabis

new york adult-use cannabis application

New York Cannabis: A Plea to the Office of Cannabis Management

It has now been over one week since New York’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced that the general adult-use cannabis license application portal will open on October 4, 2023. For those counting at home, that is less than two weeks away. We, like the many parties with a vested

New York

New York Cannabis: The Retail Dispensary Municipal Notice

New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) requires anyone applying for a retail dispensary or on-site consumption license to submit a notice of their intention to apply to the municipality (or community board in New York City) at least 30 days prior to submitting the application. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Cannabis

new york adult use cannabis license application

New York Cannabis: Portal for Adult-Use License Applications Opens October 4th!

The wait is (almost) over! During the September 12, 2023 Cannabis Control Board (CCB) meeting, the CCB announced that New York’s full, adult-use cannabis license application portal will open on October 4, 2023. The CCB meeting covered a number of other important topics, but we’ll save those for another post. For anyone planning on applying

unlicensed cannabis dispensaries

Banks Get Exposed by New York’s Unlicensed Cannabis Dispensaries

Major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, as well as landlords such as BentallGreenOak and Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., have found themselves indirectly involved with New York City’s unlicensed cannabis dispensaries, potentially exposing them to legal issues. This situation arises due to the proliferation of unlicensed retail shops in the city, with as many as

new york cannabis schedule

New York Cannabis: The Fall “Schedule”

Over the last several months there has been a lot going on in New York’s cannabis world, with the “highlights” being litigation, corporate letters, municipal legislation, and generally just a lot of back and forth about where New York’s adult-use cannabis market is going and how it is getting “there” (wherever “there” is”). Over the

New York

New York Bill Would Make Smoking Pot Outside Illegal

It could soon be illegal to smoke marijuana in public if some New York politicians have their way. New York Assemblyman Michael Novakhov and Senator Mario R. Mattera are co-sponsors of a new bill that would ban the public use of cannabis unless a local government opts in to permit such public use. As it

new york cannabis enforcement

New York Cannabis: Early Unforced Errors in Enforcement

A lot has been made recently on New York’s new legislation that empowers the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to take enforcement actions against illicit retail dispensaries (check out our posts here and here). This article (paywall) by the always excellent Brad Racino of NY Cannabis Insider provides a play-by-play of the OCM’s first ever

new york city unlicensed dispensaries

New York City Passes Unlicensed Dispensary Landlord Legislation

The New York City Council (the City Council) is taking matters into its own hands, passing legislation that will hold landlord’s liable for renting space to unlicensed cannabis dispensaries. Last week, on June 22, the City Council unanimously passed the legislation (47 to 0), with one abstention. Here is City Council Member Lynn C. Schulman’s