![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-105.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Newly introduced legislation in New York State would allow people in the state to bring legal actions against entities that violate state marijuana laws, potentially empowering ordinary individuals to sue unlicensed cannabis sellers or licensees skirting state law.<\/p>\n
Identical companion bills, S.9441<\/a> in the Senate and A.10248<\/a> in the Assembly, were introduced in the legislature last week. The Senate bill, from Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D), has been referred to the Finance Committee in that chamber, while the Assembly measure, from Assemblymember John Zaccaro Jr. (D), will begin in the Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n As written, they would enable private individuals to file civil lawsuits against anyone violating a part of the state\u2019s cannabis law that prohibits unlawful cultivation, processing, distribution or sales of cannabis or cannabis products. Individuals would be able to bring the actions under the New York False Claims Act.<\/p>\n \u201cEmpowering everyday New Yorkers with tools against illegal cannabis operators, whose conduct is both unlawful and inundates our communities with untested, unregulated and potentially deadly cannabis, is vital as we continue our enforcement efforts to combat illegal cannabis,\u201d a justification memo attached to the bill says.<\/p>\n \u201cIllegal cannabis operators undermine the legal cannabis industry in New York, whose cannabis processors, cultivators, distributors and retail dispensary licensees followed the rules only see their hard work damaged by those who violate the cannabis law,\u201d it says. \u201cNew York must lead when legitimate business is compromised by the conduct of bad actors\u2026 Authorizing a qui tam plaintiff to bring a civil action for violations of cannabis law under the New York False Claims Act adds another layer of legal protection for everyday New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislative proposal to essentially deputize New Yorkers against illegal marijuana activity comes on the heels of Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s (D) ouster of the state\u2019s top cannabis regulator<\/a> and amid a much-delayed rollout of the state\u2019s legal marijuana market<\/a>.<\/p>\n A news report earlier this year found that despite state officials levying more than $25 million in fines against unlicensed retailers for selling cannabis products since last year, only a tiny fraction of those fines had been collected<\/a> by either the New York Tax Department or the Office of Cannabis Management.<\/p>\n In an attempt to rein in unlicensed sales, Hochul in February called on big tech companies such as Google and Meta<\/a> to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d by taking steps to stop promoting illicit marijuana shops, which have proliferated across the state.<\/p>\n She accused social media and search engine companies of passively undermining the legal market that\u2019s being implemented by allowing unlicensed retailers to be featured on their services, giving consumers the false impression that they are legitimate businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us give you the list of legal vendors. I know who\u2019s legal. We all know who\u2019s legal. And then you have a responsibility to make sure that you\u2019re not posting the locations of illegal shops,\u201d the governor said. \u201cNow I\u2019m calling on all these platforms to step up, do the right thing and be part of the solution. Don\u2019t be complicit in helping jeopardize the public health and the livelihoods of these legitimate business owners.\u201d<\/p>\n While litigation has contributed to some of the state\u2019s delays, Hochul has signaled that she holds the state\u2019s regulatory bodies partly responsible.<\/p>\n When her office became aware that the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) only intended to approve three additional licenses at a meeting earlier this year, for example, it intervened and made clear that the number was insufficient<\/a>. The meeting was subsequently cancelled.<\/p>\n The governor also foreshadowed at a February meeting that she was eyeing potential leadership changes within the state\u2019s marijuana regulatory apparatus<\/a>\u00a0because of the implementation issues.<\/p>\n Following the ouster of OCM Executive Director Chris Alexander, advocates at the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition said they were \u201cshocked and dismayed\u201d by the action<\/a>.<\/p>\n While they acknowledged the state has encountered obstacles in its rollout of legal marijuana, they said a New York State Office of General Services (OGS) report wrongly put the blame on Alexander.<\/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 they said.<\/p>\n \u2014 Separately New York lawmakers are calling for further investigation into the state\u2019s marijuana contract with a Chicago-based equity firm<\/a> that critics say put investors over the state\u2019s effort to prioritize social equity in its marijuana rollout.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, a Senate committee also passed a bill that would authorize the launch of 10 overdose prevention centers statewide<\/a> under a harm reduction pilot program. If the measure becomes law, New York would join\u00a0Rhode Island<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Minnesota<\/a>\u00a0in authorizing the facilities. Vermont lawmakers also recently\u00a0passed a bill to establish and fund a pilot program in Burlington<\/a>, though the state\u2019s governor\u00a0has signaled he intends to veto it<\/a>.<\/p>\n New York City became the first U.S. jurisdiction to\u00a0host locally sanctioned harm reduction centers<\/a> in November 2021.<\/p>\n New Hampshire Senate Panel Amends House-Passed Marijuana Legalization Bill, Sending It To Final Floor Vote<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post New York Bills Would Let People File Legal Actions Against Unlicensed Marijuana Businesses<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Newly introduced legislation in New York State would allow people in the state to bring legal actions against entities that violate state marijuana laws, potentially empowering ordinary individuals to sue unlicensed cannabis sellers or licensees skirting state law. Identical companion bills, S.9441 in the Senate and A.10248 in the Assembly,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":75527,"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\/75526"}],"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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75526"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75528,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75526\/revisions\/75528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-104.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\nRead More: New York Bills Would Let People File Legal Actions Against Unlicensed Marijuana Businesses<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"