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The governor of New York is again slamming the rollout of marijuana legalization in her state, calling the protracted process a \u201cdisaster\u201d and \u201cinsane,\u201d while acknowledging that it\u2019s unlikely the legislature would be willing to \u201cstart over\u201d with crafting a framework for the legal cannabis market as she\u2019d prefer.<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has recently become vocal about her frustrations with the implementation of the cannabis law she inherited. While she supports legalization, she told The Buffalo News editorial board the law was drafted \u201cin a way that was not poised for success.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a disaster. I will not defend that for one second,\u201d Hochul said. However, she added that she\u2019s \u201cglad we stopped the mass incarceration of young people for consumption,\u201d calling it \u201cthe right policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much of the governor\u2019s frustration concerns the limited number of licensed retailers that have been approved since the state enacted legalization\u2014an issue that\u2019s significantly compounded by the proliferation of unlicensed storefronts.<\/p>\n
Hochul said that one key problem is that the law lacks \u201cteeth,\u201d meaning provisions allowing for effective enforcement to eradicate the illicit market.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not [on] every street corner,\u201d she said<\/a>, referring to the unregulated shops. \u201cIt is every other storefront. It is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it should be treated the way tobacco is: local law enforcement can stop illegal sale of cigarettes that are not licensed and taxed,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to have the teeth in the law to stop the illegals.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of licensing regulated shops, the governor laid partial blame on the organizational structure of New York\u2019s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Cannabis Control Board (CCB). She said she\u2019s \u201cfrustrated\u201d that both divisions have paid executive directors where \u201cinherently conflict was built in as to who\u2019s the ultimate decider. That didn\u2019t go well.\u201d<\/p>\n Hochul also said it was a \u201cbad idea\u201d to charge the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) with identifying locations for marijuana business licensees, stating that the responsibility \u201cwas not their forte.\u201d<\/p>\n She acknowledged that the delayed rollout was largely due to litigation that resulted in recently lifted court injunctions that had blocked regulators from processing hundreds of approvals.<\/p>\n That\u2019s led to \u201cfarmers who are just losing money,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got these people who took out loans and are excited about their opportunities, ready to start. And meanwhile, no money is flowing back to the state. We have all this, and the illicit market is flourishing.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor isn\u2019t optimistic that the legislature will take steps to meaningfully reform the overall legalization law, even if there\u2019s \u201ca strong part of me that would just like to go in and just start over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019d have to go back to the legislature and convince them to change the laws in every way I\u2019ve described,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably not likely to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, Hochul said she will continue to pressure lawmakers to expand enforcement authority, while advocating for policies that could bolster the regulated market.<\/p>\n For example, the governor released a budget plan this month that calls for the elimination of a THC potency tax<\/a>, aiming to reduce costs for consumers in a way that could make the regulated market more competitive against illicit operators.<\/p>\n Hochul also recently described being \u201cvery fed up with how long it is taking\u201d to expand the state\u2019s recreational marijuana market<\/a> with more licensed businesses, and she revealed that she urged regulators to \u201cgo back to the drawing board\u201d to approve hundreds of new retailers.<\/p>\n Marijuana license applicants have voiced frustration over delayed approvals, as well as the abrupt cancellation of a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) meeting this month<\/a>\u00a0where regulators were expected to grant additional approvals.<\/p>\n When the governor caught wind of the fact that the board was only prepared to sign off on three new licenses, she said her office intervened.<\/p>\n Officials were also set to consider\u00a0proposed rules allowing home cultivation of cannabis for adults<\/a> at the meeting that was cancelled.<\/p>\n Also, as New York works to expand the state\u2019s marijuana market, a bill filed in the Assembly this month would empower individual municipal governments to\u00a0shut down unlicensed cannabis businesses and seize their products<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over a\u00a0dozen new cannabis retailers opened in December alone<\/a>\u00a0following a settlement agreement lifting an injunction\u00a0that had imposed a months-long licensing blockade<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Separately, the state\u2019s Department of Labor last month\u00a0published dozens of sample job descriptions for positions in the legal industry<\/a>, which officials said are intended to help companies streamline hiring processes and allow prospective employees to assess their qualifications to work in various roles within the emerging cannabis industry.<\/p>\n Hochul, meanwhile, signed legislation in November that attempts to make it somewhat easier for\u00a0financial institutions to work with state-licensed cannabis clients<\/a>. She also signed a separate bill that\u2019s\u00a0meant to provide tax relief to New York City marijuana businesses<\/a>\u00a0that are currently blocked\u00a0from making federal deductions under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E.<\/p>\n While Hochul signed an earlier budget bill in 2022 that included provisions\u00a0allow state-level cannabis business tax deductions<\/a>\u2014a partial remedy to the ongoing federal issue\u2014New York City has its own tax laws that weren\u2019t affected by that change. The new measure is meant to fill that policy gap.<\/p>\n Hochul also recently vetoed legislation that would have allowed\u00a0hemp seeds to be included in animal feed\u00a0for pets, horses and camelids<\/a>\u00a0such as llamas and alpacas.<\/p>\n In September, 66 state lawmakers\u2014about a third of the entire state legislature\u2014also wrote to Hochul urging her to\u00a0sign a bill that would allow licensed marijuana producers to sell products to tribal retailers<\/a>. The plan would offer a release valve to hundreds of cannabis farmers who are currently sitting on surpluses but have no place to sell their products. Last month, however, Hochul vetoed that bill.<\/p>\n California Assembly Unanimously Approves Bill To Create Psychedelics Workgroup And Prepare For Legal Therapeutic Access<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post New York Governor Blasts Marijuana Licensing \u2018Disaster\u2019 And Wishes Lawmakers Would \u2018Start Over\u2019 With Legalization Law<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The governor of New York is again slamming the rollout of marijuana legalization in her state, calling the protracted process a \u201cdisaster\u201d and \u201cinsane,\u201d while acknowledging that it\u2019s unlikely the legislature would be willing to \u201cstart over\u201d with crafting a framework for the legal cannabis market as she\u2019d prefer. Gov.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":72106,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72105"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72107,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72105\/revisions\/72107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: New York Governor Blasts Marijuana Licensing \u2018Disaster\u2019 And Wishes Lawmakers Would \u2018Start Over\u2019 With Legalization Law<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"