On Monday, the New York Senate marijuana panel will hold its first meeting. Members are expected to hear from witnesses as well as discuss possible legislative solutions to state’s ongoing cannabis implementation problems.
The Senate Cannabis Subcommittee was established in April, and is chaired Sen. Jeremy Cooney, (D). Members of the public were invited to attend the hearing on the first day of this month.
Cooney stated at the time that the goal of the hearing was to get feedback from a wide range of people involved in adult use. He continued: “I think the best way to achieve that target is by publicly opening a request for oral testimony at this hearing.”
The Senate Agriculture, Finance, and Investigations & Government Operations Committees are holding a joint hearing on Monday.
Chris Alexander, Executive Director of the State Office of Cannabis Management, will testify in front of the panels along with other OCM officials.
Other witnesses include representatives of the Cannabis Advisory Board and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.
Live video of the New York Senate marijuana hearing
Other speakers include representatives from the Cannabis Association New York, New York Farm Bureau and New York Cannabis Retail Association as well as Bronx Defenders Local 338 RWDSU – UFCW, Drug Policy Alliance, Bronx Defenders and Bronx Defenders.
The lawmakers will also hear from cannabis companies of all sizes, from multi-state operators such as Columbia Care and Acreage Holdings, to equity operators like Housing Works.
There are 37 witnesses invited to speak at 13 panels.
In recent months, frustrations about New York’s marijuana program have increased as regulators worked to create a market which prioritizes social justice, by awarding conditional licences to those who have been most affected by prohibition. The process is slow. Meanwhile, illicit cannabis businesses are proliferating. lawsuits temporarily stopped cannabis licensing and further complicated the issue.
Cooney stated last month that “we have a duty to work with our Governor and our State agencies to ensure our collective goals are achieved.” “And New Yorkers deserve transparency in their government when it comes to what has been achieved so far,” Cooney said last month.
Cooney told Marijuana Moment in a previous interview that the Hearing of the 12-member Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis was primarily intended to be a “fact finding” process. “We will hopefully identify specific needs for public policy [and] legislation during the hearing process.” It’s crucial that we start this process now, in the fall, prior to our meeting in Albany.
Regulators have already taken steps, some of which are controversial, to broaden the access to the legal cannabis market. The state Cannabis Control Board adopted a new rule last month that allows all applicants to apply for retail licenses, including large businesses outside of the state as well as existing medical marijuana companies. Social equity applicants were outraged by the change, as they said that it would undermine the state’s ambitious plans to prioritize small business and companies owned by those most directly affected by prohibition.
Expanding the eligibility to participate in the state’s cannabis market will likely speed up the opening of legal businesses, especially in New York City. Even though the state approved adult-use legalization for 2021, only two dozen legal stores have opened in New York State.
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A judge halted the licensing of Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD), a program in August, after a veteran group filed a suit. This prevented regulators from granting or processing new licenses for conditional adult use recreational dispensaries.
Cooney stated at the time that the decision of the judge to stop new cannabis licenses until the legal challenge is resolved, “disappointed him”.
In an effort to increase consumer access to marijuana that is legal, the OCM launched the Cannabis Growers Showcase, a program that allows growers and processors who are licensed to sell directly to the public.
approved the program by a vote in July, and quickly began accepting applications. In August, the Hudson Valley hosted its first pop-up. Another was held near the state fair.
Last month, 66 lawmakers from the state–about one-third of all state legislators–also sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), urged her to to sign a law that would allow licensed marijuana manufacturers to sell their products to tribal retailers. This plan will provide a way for cannabis farmers to release surpluses they have but are unable to sell.
In the letter, it is stated that growers have more than 250.000 pounds of cannabis they are not selling. Farmers who borrowed money and used all of their assets to grow these crops face financial ruin if we don’t act fast to find them an alternative market.
New York regulators continue to work on debunking the “false narrative” that marijuana is often contaminated with fentanyl, a “misconception,” that is “widespread,” despite the lack of evidence. OCM has recently released a factsheet on this issue. It acknowledges that while fentanyl can be found in heroin and MDMA, the anecdotal evidence about marijuana being laced with fentanyl is unfounded.
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Photo by WeedPornDaily.
The post Watch live: New York Senate Committees hold joint hearing on challenges in state’s marijuana legalization rollout first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
