{"id":75265,"date":"2024-05-14T12:14:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T20:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/05\/14\/cannabis-regulators-of-color-condemn-new-york-governors-firing-of-top-marijuana-official-op-ed\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T12:45:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T20:45:23","slug":"cannabis-regulators-of-color-condemn-new-york-governors-firing-of-top-marijuana-official-op-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/05\/14\/cannabis-regulators-of-color-condemn-new-york-governors-firing-of-top-marijuana-official-op-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis Regulators Of Color Condemn New York Governor\u2019s Firing Of Top Marijuana Official (Op-Ed)"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that the head of one of the state\u2019s few Black-led agencies has been scapegoated for all the challenges identified in the OGS report is unconscionable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Shekia Scott & Cat Packer, Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition (CRCC) is profoundly shocked and dismayed at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s (D) sudden announcement last week of an operational overhaul of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), which includes the decision not to reinstate OCM Executive Director Chris Alexander, a highly competent and trusted leader, at the end of his term in September.<\/p>\n

This decision, seemingly influenced solely by a biased and inflammatory report from the New York State Office of General Services (OGS) poses a grave threat to the progress and integrity of equitable cannabis regulation in New York State.<\/p>\n

While the OGS report identifies common challenges that new regulatory agencies and programs face, such as staffing issues, technological hurdles and licensing process inefficiencies<\/a>, it emphasizes these challenges as unique to OCM.<\/p>\n

Of particular concern, it repeatedly characterizes the office\u2019s leadership as inexperienced and untrustworthy. However, little to no evidence is provided within the audit itself to support these assertions. The scope of this audit is also dubiously narrow as it attempts to investigate the effectiveness of the OCM solely by looking at the newly implemented adult-use licensing process while ignoring other office activities required by law, including policy development, public education, compliance and business development.<\/p>\n

Despite the focus on licensing, the report portrays a widespread picture of incompetence and untrustworthiness in OCM\u2019s leadership overall. This compromises the autonomy and credibility of the OCM, even though similar audits of more established state agencies have demonstrated comparable or even exacerbated challenges.<\/p>\n

While audits can and should be helpful tools for program evaluation and improvement, the OGS report blames the challenges of New York State\u2019s legal cannabis market on the competence and trustworthiness of OCM leaders\u2014despite the fact that it is unfounded and unproven by the report itself and despite the fact that OCM leadership was appointed by the governor herself.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the auditor\u2019s tendency to attribute decisions to OCM without clarifying the agency\u2019s decision-making authority deflects accountability from the governor and OGS, both responsible for supporting OCM during this startup phase. The fact that the head of one of the state\u2019s few Black-led agencies has been scapegoated for all the challenges identified in the OGS report is unconscionable.<\/p>\n

It is essential to address the root causes of OCM\u2019s challenges, including the six-month delay in appointing the executive director, litigation that delayed retail licensing progress for nine months, OGS\u2019s inability to support OCM in its staffing efforts and constant attacks to undermine the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act\u2019s (MRTA) fundamental goal of repairing the harms of the war on drugs.<\/p>\n

Lastly and most critically, the governor\u2019s failure to prioritize the implementation of the state\u2019s Social Equity Fund and ongoing defense of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) have left hundreds of justice-involved retail licensees without expected support, further exacerbating operational gaps within the state\u2019s cannabis industry.<\/p>\n

Despite these delays and a clear lack of support, within two years, New York\u2019s legal cannabis industry under OCM\u2019s leadership already well exceeds national averages for minority- and women-owned businesses, while driving more than $300 million in retail sales.<\/p>\n

Drawing from our extensive experience across multiple jurisdictions, many of which include launching new cannabis regulatory agencies, it is critically important to note that the vast majority of the challenges outlined in the OGS report are not unique to the OCM but are inherent to the initial phases of regulatory implementation and are encountered by regulatory bodies worldwide. This is not leadership incompetence; it is a learning curve for governments everywhere.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it\u2019s important that government leaders, especially those representing communities most impacted by cannabis criminalization are empowered in their efforts to support these reforms.<\/p>\n

This audit neglects to provide a holistic comparison with other regulatory bodies facing comparable challenges. The selective scrutiny misrepresents the complexities of establishing a new regulatory framework and unfairly targets OCM and its leadership, undermining its current efforts and accomplishments. It is essential to assess regulatory performance within the broader context of comparable agencies to ensure fair evaluation and to avoid unjust criticism.<\/p>\n

CRCC supports a transparent and evidence-based approach to cannabis regulation and New York State\u2019s efforts to identify and address the challenges facing OCM as it continues its equity-centered mission to implement a regulatory framework that addresses the harms of cannabis criminalization. However, blaming these challenges solely on OCM leadership\u2019s experience and trustworthiness without merit is unacceptable.<\/p>\n

We call on Gov. Hochul to ensure that assessments of the OCM\u2019s performance are fair, comprehensive and based on objective evidence. Moreover, we urge the governor to reconsider her unjust and untimely decision to sever ties with Executive Director Chris Alexander, as it will further exacerbate challenges and delays in critical areas such as licensing, staffing, equity and overall regulatory implementation.<\/p>\n

Shekia Scott is a board member of the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition (CRCC) and is the senior cannabis business manager in the Boston, Massachusetts Mayor\u2019s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. She previously served as the inaugural director of equity and community outreach for the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, the first such position in the nation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cat Packer is the vice chair of the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition, director of drug markets and legal regulation at the Drug Policy Alliance and a distinguished cannabis policy practitioner in residence at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law\u2019s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. She previously served as the first executive director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

New York Lawmakers Demand Scrutiny Of State\u2019s Marijuana Contract With Chicago-Based Private Equity Firm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Cannabis Regulators Of Color Condemn New York Governor\u2019s Firing Of Top Marijuana Official (Op-Ed)<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Cannabis Regulators Of Color Condemn New York Governor\u2019s Firing Of Top Marijuana Official (Op-Ed)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe fact that the head of one of the state\u2019s few Black-led agencies has been scapegoated for all the challenges identified in the OGS report is unconscionable.\u201d By Shekia Scott & Cat Packer, Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition The Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition (CRCC) is profoundly shocked and dismayedContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"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\/75265"}],"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\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75266,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75265\/revisions\/75266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}