Delivery for New York’s new legal weed stores is in the works

While there’s still no set date for the first day of legal adult cannabis sales, the state’s recent cannabis board meeting showed supply and non-profit businesses could shorten the wait.

The most recent meeting of the Advisory Board of Cannabis Management’s New York office was held on December 1, with the announced deadline of New Year’s.

Last month, 36 operators, including eight non-profit organizations and 28 people working in the judiciary, received the first round of licenses to operate pharmacies. While nonprofits can use their own predesignated location, the other 28 licensees will have to wait until the state allocates them a physical retail space.

The delivery will take place shortly

Newly licensed pharmacies can handle sales by delivery while setting up their new storefronts provided licensees follow the regulations set out by the OCM, Executive Director Chris Alexander announced at the meeting.

Alexander added that regulations for consumption rooms or delivery-only stores are not yet finalized, stressing that delivery is the best temporary solution to get the new stores up and running while brick-and-mortar stores are being prepared.

New regulation protecting New York pharmacies

Director of Policy, John Kagia, also announced updated industry regulations that include safeguards for cannabis companies from communities they may want to undermine before they even open.

Kagia explained that while local municipalities can give their opinion on whether a cannabis dispensary can operate in their jurisdiction, they “cannot make specific rules” specific to cannabis businesses, such as: B. pure cannabis fees or the requirement for the state minimum of 70 hours of operation per week.

“This will help protect our licensees from local laws that could make it harder for them to thrive and even harder to run a cannabis business effectively.”

John Kagia, OCM Policy Director

The state announces a new stock mentoring program

In addition, Damian Fagon, OCM’s chief equity officer, announced that 250 applicants have been selected for the state’s equity mentoring program, designed to help affected applicants prepare for market entry.

Scheduled to begin in mid-January 2023, the program consists of a “10-week webinar series aimed at expanding and diversifying the pipeline of growers and processors in the marketplace.”

More news from New York

• The meeting did not address the state’s recent change in cannabis testing regulations, which now allow for higher acceptable levels of cannabis certain moldsBacteria and pesticides in regulated products.
  A report approved This week also found that many illegal stores claiming to have licensed and tested products could be selling weed and vapes contaminated with E. coli, mold and pesticides.
• On November 21, the first 36 adult-use dispensary licenses went to business owners with New York cannabis convictions and non-profit organizations. The first approved stores are expected to open within the next three weeks.