Tuesday’s unanimous approval of rules and regulations that will oversee the rollout of New York’s severely delayed cannabis program was met with relief as the Cannabis Control Board board members passed the regulatory package without debate.
“I know that today is a day of mixed emotions for many who are excited to see the market launch,” said Chris Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). “There are additional items that we will continue to fine-tune, as it relates to the regulations.”
Additional items that need fine-tuning?
Practically since recreational cannabis became legal in New York, the program has been besieged by numerous lawsuits related to one of the program's major tenets that enables social equity applicants, or those who have been affected by the war on drugs, to be moved to the front of the line for licenses to operate retail shops. While a noble cause, the social equity program has moved at a snail’s pace and is viewed by just about everyone involved as inefficiently executed, hence the lawsuits.
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