As the state Office of Cannabis Management goes through an overhaul ordered by Gov. Kathy Hochul following years of delays and recent claims by licensees of alleged retaliation, cannabis investors continue to move forward with business plans.
After the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was signed into law by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the spring of 2021, the OCM’s original expectations were to have legal cannabis shops up and selling by the end of 2022. Multiple industry holdups and lawsuits dragged out the state’s rollout largely until late November, when the state’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB) voted to settle two lawsuits. Since then, the state has rushed to issue as many Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries (CAURD) licenses as possible.
On Friday, cannabis dispensary Mr Good Vybz had a soft launch in downtown Albany. The owner, Amin Cowan, said he began the application process in May 2021 and was issued a CAURD license this month.
“If I could describe it in three ways, I would say, ‘long, hard and gruesome,’” Cowan said, adding the waiting has been the worst part of the process. “That’s how they operate. They want to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, which is expected. We would like to move at a faster pace — being that you are investing, so you know, nobody could pay bills and no returns. I’m trying to open a staff and the state be like, ‘Hold up, hold up, hold up!’ That’s New York state and they’ve got to go at a certain pace. But, you’ve got to believe in the process and tonight the process has come to reality.”
Under the original MRTA, it sought to issue up to 150 retail licenses and had a goal to issue 50% of those licenses to social equity candidates. For example, those negatively impacted by the so-called war on drugs — also known as justice-involved, disabled veterans and minority and women-owned businesses. Cowan, a black man, while living in Albany said he had about 37 misdemeanors for marijuana before it was made legal.
“It’s a part of our culture, though to be honest. Marijuana has always been a part of our culture. Again, basically breaking the weed up on the old-school records — the vinyl records — listening to Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle,” he said. “Maybe smoking cannabis and listening to old-school is a part of our culture now.”
Other early cannabis stakeholders have also long expressed frustration with OCM’s rollout process, including Jeanette Miller, a Niagara County resident and co-chair of the Cannabis Farmers Alliance, who once went up to speak to CCB while wearing a noose around her neck. Last week, OCM was hit with accusations that it used its enforcement powers to retaliate against stakeholders who criticized the agency — including Miller. OCM’s Chief Equity Officer Damian Fagon has reportedly been placed on leave in connection to the report.
Following the reports, Hochul announced an effort to overhaul OCM and appointed Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy to oversee it. At the first meeting of the CCB following the allegations on Friday, which was unable to be livestreamed due to technical difficulties, the board also voted to waive licensing fees for two years for cannabis farmers — a measure that was being pushed by Cannabis Farmers Alliance.
The board also issued 114 new dispensary and microbusiness licenses. There have been 223 licenses issued since the start of the year and there are currently about 90 licensed dispensaries operating throughout the state.
At the soft opening on Friday, Cowan reiterated that the process to open his store was “long, hard and gruesome,” but expressed optimism about the industry’s future.
“I’m pretty sure OCM will find a new way to make it much more easier and better for the people that come behind,” he said. “It’s always hard when you’re first — when you’re opening up a door, so people always do better after people open up the door.”