Gov. Kathy Hochul has finally called for an overhaul of the state agency overseeing New York’s cannabis industry, after she herself acknowledged that the cannabis rollout had been a “disaster.”
The move was boosted by an overhaul of the state’s cannabis regulator that began Monday, with key figures in New York state’s cannabis regulator accused of retaliation by pot suppliers for criticizing the cannabis program. This was done in response to his being placed on leave. .
Hochul asked General Services Secretary Janet Moi to conduct a 30-day inspection of the program to streamline licensing operations and the opening of new drug stores. The directive is seen both inside and outside the cannabis industry as a belated deterrent. A full-blown crisis is brewing on the governor’s watch.
“What took Hochul so long? It’s hard to imagine anything worse than it is now — this is a huge failure,” Queens City Councilman Robert Holden said. He’s fighting to shut down an unlicensed pot shop on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, in the heart of the neighborhood.
The Cannabis Place, a new legal cannabis shop that just opened on Metropolitan Avenue, is currently surrounded by six unlicensed shops within a several block radius, says a former delivery shop operating elsewhere. said Osbert Orduna, CEO of the company.
State Sen. George Borrello (R-Jamestown) called the state’s marijuana legalization plan a “miserable failure.”
“From the beginning, it was a failure of identity politics to prioritize licenses for people with criminal convictions over law-abiding citizens,” Borrero said.
The same permissive ideology also allowed unlicensed pot shops to sprout like weeds before a legal market could take hold. And it’s time for the Democrats in charge to sit up and do something, he said.
“Until Democrats in Albany pass legislation that breaks the spine and puts illegal marijuana operators behind bars, nothing will change,” Borrero said.
Hochul promised a turnaround on Monday.
“Today, we are taking the first steps to reform New York’s legal cannabis industry and ensure its long-term success,” the governor said.
“I have full confidence in Secretary Moy’s ability to identify areas for improvement, establish agency-wide standards and processes, and energize the next phase of New York’s legal cannabis market.
As news of the reorganization surfaced, Jenny Ursey, the owner of Upstate edible cannabis supplier Jenny Loves Me, claimed that she was involved in shutting down her business in retaliation by state regulators. Damian Faygon, head of equity, has been placed on leave. Criticism.
“As a regulatory body, we take questions about the integrity of our systems seriously. OCM Executive Director Chris Alexander said: “To ensure a transparent and thorough investigation into the allegations, the agency I have placed him on leave.”
The problems with the state’s new cannabis program run deep, and some of them are self-inflicted.
- There are 83 licensed cannabis businesses in the Empire State, 38 of which are in New York City.
But Sheriff Anthony Miranda and Mayor Eric Adams estimate that up to 2,000 stores are selling marijuana illegally.
The state Legislature failed to approve measures to address the black market when legalizing marijuana sales in 2021.
Hochul is pressuring parliament to pass his proposal to give local governments more power to close unlicensed stores.
In the budget, the state Senate proposed a staggering $126 million in relief to prevent farms from failing, and the Legislature provided $80 million to keep cannabis suppliers afloat until a market is built. Proposed.
- Frustrated applicants complain that it can take up to two years to obtain a license.
Cannabis Place CEO Orduna said cracking down on the black market is the most pressing issue Albany needs to address.
“This is the governor’s proposal. The ball is in the court of Congress,” Orduna said.
