According to Governor Hochul

The clock may be ticking toward 2022, but New York is still on track to open its first recreational marijuana dispensaries by the end of the year.

So says the state’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said Wednesday that she expects the first official cannabis retailers to open their doors before 2023.

“We expect the first 20 pharmacies to open by the end of this year,” Hochul told the editorial board of Advance Media New York. “And then about 20 more every month. So we’re not just going to throw it out like that. It will work and be successful.”

The application period for the first round of adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses ended just last week, having started on August 25.

State officials said around 500 applications had been submitted and that hundreds of other applicants had been deemed ineligible and rejected.

The first round of dispensary licenses will be given to people previously convicted of a cannabis-related offense or to a family member of someone who has a policy, announced by Hochul back in March.

“New York State is making history and launching a unique approach to the cannabis industry that takes a major step forward in righting the wrongs of the past,” Hochul said in the announcement at the time. “The regulations presented today by the Cannabis Control Board will prioritize local farmers and entrepreneurs and create jobs and opportunities for communities that have been left out and left behind. I am proud that New York will be a national model for the safe, just and inclusive industry we are now building.”

In her interview with the editor on Wednesday, Hochul echoed those sentiments, saying that New York aspires to “be a model for the rest of the nation — particularly with our desire to ensure people affected by the crime are disadvantaged by the justice system.” … have the opportunity to work in this field.”

Hochul, who is heavily favored for re-election this year, took over as governor in August 2021 after Andrew Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York amid allegations of sexual misconduct, resigned.

It was Cuomo who signed the adult recreational cannabis law into law in March 2021, but the state’s cannabis program didn’t take shape until Hochul took office.

Within a month of taking office last year, Hochul completed two key appointments at the State Office of Cannabis Management, the agency charged with overseeing and regulating New York’s cannabis industry.

“The cannabis industry in New York has stalled for far too long – I’m making important appointments to set the Office of Cannabis Management up for success so it can hit the ground running,” Hochul said at the time.

In her interview with the editor this week, Hochul touted her efforts to get the state-regulated marijuana program off the ground.

“Talk about the rollout being blocked,” she said. “When I became governor, nothing had happened. Nothing. It was closed because there was a battle between the administration and the legislature over who would be the executive director and the chairs of the cannabis review boards,” she said. “So I got a lot of credit for naming people in a week. I got things going. So when I talk to people about being part of this industry, the first thing they say is thank you. Because otherwise we could still wait and wait and wait, even for the most basic steps. So we made quick progress.”