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Join NY Cannabis Insider for our next full-day conference on Nov. 16 at the Sonesta White Plains.
I hope everyone’s having a great Veterans Day weekend, and we at NY Cannabis Insider hope to see many of you at our all-day conference in White Plains next week (details and tickets available here.)
For now, let’s take a look at the stories we covered last week.
We ran a detailed piece about our conference, which we will host at the Sonesta in White Plains, N.Y. on Thursday, Nov. 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The overlying theme of the event will be: what’s next for the cannabis industry, from crisis to opportunity.
The conference will host new and seasoned industry professionals for a day of learning and networking. The content will feature both introductory and advanced “courses” on relevant topics such as accounting, insurance, real estate, applying for a license, the medical program, and more, taught by professionals within the NY cannabis industry.
NY Cannabis Editor/Publisher Brad Racino did a detailed Q&A with Aaron Leentjes – founder and farmer at UNIFI Group – about a change the Office of Cannabis Management made to nickel limits for farmers, and how that will affect licensed cultivators and other stakeholders.
While the move should allow more cultivators to pass testing and get their products to market, the change is frustrating for some farmers who had previous harvests that could have passed testing under the new rules – but instead were written off or turned into biomass.
Brad also took a deep dive into mental health among licensed growers, a group which has suffered some of the greatest setbacks in New York’s legal cannabis rollout. The story looks at the results of a survey conducted by the Cannabis Farmers Alliance.
The survey included 38 responses from farmers across the state. Many said they are on the verge of financial ruin, collapsing mental health and deteriorating personal relationships.
We ran a guest column by Jordan Isenstadt – a senior vice president at Marino PR who founded the agency’s cannabis practice – that identifies red flags cannabis licensees should be wary of when looking for vendors.
“While there are many wonderful cannabis lawyers, real estate agents, and other consultants, as with every industry there are also swindlers who are just out to make a quick buck,” Isenstadt wrote. “Having supported multiple dispensary openings, and being a “vendor” myself, I have first-hand knowledge on some of the tactics used to con hopeful entrepreneurs into using a specific service or company.”
Reporter Mel Hyman spoke with state Sen. Michelle Hinchey and state Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo about a push for a cannabis farmer relief fund in 2024.
With New York’s 200 or so cannabis farmers facing severe financial hardship — including some on the verge of bankruptcy – Hinchey told NY Cannabis Insider that, along with Lupardo, she intends to push for a cannabis relief fund in 2024.
Continuing our “NY’s women in cannabis” series, we ran a profile on Lori Rosen, president of the Rosen Group, a NYC-based PR firm with an expertise in promoting, launching and building cannabis brands.
We also added a new entry to our “People to know in NY cannabis” series: Dr. Torian Easterling, co-founder of Black Star Wellness, which is seeking a medical cannabis license in New York State.
Have a great weekend everyone, we’ll be back with plenty more next week.