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Happy weekend, everyone!
We had another busy week covering legislative, regulatory and business stories in New York’s cannabis industry. Let’s take a look at what we wrote about.
On Thursday, we covered a Cannabis Control Board meeting, at which board members approved 101 cannabis business licenses, and expanded the Office of Cannabis Management’s authority to issue provisional licenses.
However, OCM Executive Director Alexander touched on a sore subject among some applicants when he encouraged people applying for retail licenses to utilize the OCM’s proximity map. During a public comment session, multiple people complained about issues related to the OCM’s handling of “proximity protection.”
We wrote about a coalition of eight licensed cannabis processors launching a trade group, which they intend to serve as an advocacy organization as well as a clearinghouse for reliable information about marijuana manufacturing.
Founding members of the Empire Cannabis Manufacturers Alliance are all licensed New York processors that previously worked in the state’s hemp sector. They began forming the group early this year, amid the collective belief that processors need a larger platform to draw attention to policy issues that affect them.
Reporter Mel Hyman contributed a story that took a look at the prospects for a cannabis relief fund in the 2024 New York State budget, which have suddenly dimmed, possibly leaving New York licensed cannabis growers without the financial relief many were counting on.
According to a source familiar with the budget talks who asked not to be identified for fear of jeopardizing their job, the state Senate, Assembly and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office had a walk-through session two weeks ago, and there was no discussion or exchange about the cannabis fund.
We added a new entry to our “People to know in NY cannabis” series: “Hawaii” Mike Salman, the co-founder and CEO of Chef for Higher, a culinary brand on New York’s legal cannabis market.
Lastly, we posted a new edition of attorney Jeffrey Hoffman’s Ask Me Anything segment, in which Hoffman answers questions about threats to the New York State cannabis industry, and likely timing for the next round of cannabis business applications. Hoffman also interviews Tony Gallo, a cannabis-focused security consultant.
Have a great weekend everyone, we’ll be back with plenty more next week.