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New York Regulators Approve Regulations Governing Adult-Use Cannabis Sales
The New York Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved regulations last week that will ultimately govern the state’s forthcoming adult-use sales.
Regulators formally adopted a licensing program July 14 that was initially proposed earlier this year to ensure that the first round of dispensary licenses go to applicants with past cannabis-related convictions, according to the New York Daily News.
The regulations mandate that applicants for the first set of Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses must provide proof that they or a family member have been convicted of a cannabis-related offense prior to New York legalizing adult-use last year, the news outlet reported.
These applicants must also have a minimum of two years’ experience in owning a profitable business, the Daily News reported.
The online application portal is expected to go live next month, according to the news outlet, and the New York Office of Cannabis Management will post the launch date on its website at least 14 days before the application window opens.
“This is a tremendous stride in the right direction,” CCB Chair Tremaine Wright told the Daily News. “We’re leading with equity in this state.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state’s “Seeding Opportunity Initiative” earlier this year to prioritize those most impacted by the war on drugs in the adult-use cannabis licensing process.
One hundred to 200 CAURD licenses could be issued by this fall, the Daily News reported, with adult-use sales expected to launch by the end of the year.
Regulators have issued more than 200 adult-use cannabis cultivation licenses to date, according to the news outlet.
RELATED: New York Regulators to Open Application Process for Adult-Use Cannabis Processors
The CCB also approved changes to New York’s medical cannabis program Thursday, the Daily News reported, including a streamlined patient registration process and revised packaging, labeling, marketing and advertising rules that align with the regulations for the adult-use industry.