On August 18, 2023, a New York Supreme Court judge, ruled that the state\u2019s discretionary licensing process violates the law.<\/p>\n
A group of disabled military veterans filed a lawsuit against cannabis regulators claiming the initial round of New York licenses were improperly limited to people with prior marijuana convictions, rather than a wider group of service-disabled veterans and other social equity applicants prioritized by New York\u2019s Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act.<\/p>\n
Supreme Court Judge Kevin Bryant upheld the lawsuit and stated, \u201cThere is no dispute\u201d that state law says applications \u201cshall be opened for all applicants at the same time.\u201d\u00a0As a result, Justice Bryant issued an injunction blocking the the <\/span>state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) from<\/span>\u00a0processing or issuing marijuana dispensary licenses<\/span> until at least Aug. 25.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is the latest setback in a series of delays since New York legalized marijuana two and a half years ago. There are\u00a0only 23 legal dispensaries in the state, with <\/span>more tha<\/span>n 300 farmers and manufacturers in need of a place to sell their goods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Further arguments on the ruling will be held Aug. 25. The OCM plans to appeal, a spokesperson said in a statement Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On August 18, 2023, a New York Supreme Court judge, ruled that the state\u2019s discretionary licensing process violates the law. A group of disabled military veterans filed a lawsuit against cannabis regulators claiming the initial round of New York licenses were improperly limited to people with prior marijuana convictions, rather than a wider group of … <\/p>\n