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Join NY Cannabis Insider for our next full-day conference on Sept. 21 at the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery in Buffalo. Tickets will sell out.
Happy Saturday!
Let’s take a look at our week’s coverage.
On Thursday, we released more information for our industry summit at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery in Buffalo on Sept. 21. Details and tickets are available here.
The conference will host industry professionals for a day of learning, venting and problem-solving. The focus will be on the “state of the industry” from several key stakeholder perspectives, such as cultivators, processors, retailers, politicians, attorneys, and medical operators.
On Friday, reporter Sean Teehan wrote about the latest hearing where Supreme Court Judge Kevin Bryant exempted at least 23 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary businesses from the injunction currently barring hundreds of conditionally licensed cannabis shops to open.
Teehan continued reporting on the injunction with a story on the Finger Lakes, where the pause has been particularly difficult for business owners.
Of the 17 CAURD licenses issued so far to businesses based in the Finger Lakes, only one made the list of dispensaries exempt from the injunction.
Due to the uncertainty and fear across all sectors of the state’s cannabis industry, NY Cannabis Insider conducted an informal survey for a mental health check. The results – from nearly 70 respondents – show a notable decline in mental health.
Amid this turmoil, reporter Wes Parnell wrote a story about what’s going to happen to the Chicago Atlantic social equity fund.
Chicago Atlantic confirmed to NY Cannabis Insider that they plan to continue investing in the state’s Social Equity Investment Fund. But, if the lawsuit drags on, Chicago Atlantic will be forced to slow down its investment or completely divest from the fund.
If New York’s cannabis industry continues to face these obstacles, marginalized communities will be among those most affected. Parnell also had a Q&A session with Dr. Torian Easterling, former chief equity officer at New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, about the lack of access to medical cannabis in Black and brown communities and ways to address this healthcare disparity.
The New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association also published a guest column about alleged falsehoods made by the Cannabis Association of New York. The NYMCIA urges the Office of Cannabis Management to properly implement the MRTA to ensure a fair and balanced industry for all stakeholders by preventing any single entity from dominating the cannabis market.
Wee also published two guest columns about how far these current challenges trickle throughout the industry.
Jenny Argie, a licensed Adult-Use Cannabis Processor and co-founder of the Association of New York Cannabis Processors wrote, in her article:
“If these issues are not addressed, thousands of New Yorkers will lose their jobs, billions that would have been available to the state in tax revenue will dissipate, and untested cannabis will flow into illicit shops in every city, town, and village across our state.”
A legacy grower looking to go legal also shared his concerns about the state’s Cannabis Compliance Training and Mentorship program and how the slow rollout is affecting his plans to enter the market.
He said during the interview and application process, participants were asked to completely unveil their identity and experience with illegal cultivation. But with a promise of becoming ‘the next round of licensed cultivators and processors in the great state of NY,’ he said it seemed necessary.
The program ended in late April, and the legacy grower said he still hasn’t received a certificate of completion or any guidance as to what the next step is.
Jeffrey Hoffman hosted another “Ask me anything” segment where he addressed the industry’s most pressing questions, such as: Where are we with all the lawsuits in New York? Why is the veterans’ case in Ulster County? Can growers showcases happen while there’s a lawsuit?
On a much lighter note, we highlighted Markel Bababekov, owner of The Herbal Care THC, LLC, and Kellie Rivera, senior counsel at Columbia Care, in our “People to Know” and “Women in Cannabis” series.
That’s all for this week! Stay dry, and we’ll be back ready for more on Monday.