NY Set To Purge Unlicensed Weed Shops, Store Shut For Being Too Close To School Fights Back And More Updates

NY Wants To Put An End To Illicit Cannabis Retail Shops

New York cannabis regulators approved a measure that would allow state authorities to shut down illegal pot shops and levy fines of up to $200,000, reported Lohud.

The state Office of Cannabis Management approved emergency regulations proposed earlier by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The attempt is part of the push to get the state's potentially billion-dollar adult legal market moving.

Michigan Business Owner Awarded Cannabis Retail License In New York Following Lawsuit Settlement

On the heels of the New York Cannabis Control Board reaching a settlement in a lawsuit against Variscite NY One, Inc., the state's Office of Cannabis Management agreed to grant a cannabis retail license to a Michigan business owner. The move is part of the 10-page settlement filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, reported Syracuse.

Both sides agreed to give up on seeking further damages or legal fees.

Variscite NY One took legal action after being denied a Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) due to concerns over ownership eligibility. This legal dispute resulted in a restrictive injunction that effectively halted the issuance of CAURD licenses across multiple regions, including the coveted Finger Lakes area.

NY Cannabis Industry's Supply Chain At Stake: Lawmakers Want To Avoid Disruptions

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, legislators in the state Assembly and Senate approved a bill extending licenses for cannabis cultivators for one year, averting a potential disruption of New York's fledgling cannabis industry, reported The Daily Gazette.

Thursday marks the expiry of the one-year, conditional cannabis cultivating licenses initially handed out by the state when the industry began. Having in mind a slow rollout of the state cannabis industry, the lawmakers have decided to extend the licenses prior to June 8 - the termination of the legislative session.

The one-year extension bill now requires the signature of Governor Hochul for final ratification. Cultivators that currently provide processors and cannabis store owners with cannabis statewide will be banned from doing so if the bill doesn't get enacted.

Too Close To School: Cannabis Retailer Challenges Gloucester County Decision

Pennsylvania firm that was banned from opening a cannabis store in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, earlier this year for being 45 feet too close to an elementary school has taken their case to state court to contest the zoning board's authority, reported CourierPostOnline.

Blulight Cannabis LLC has brought a claim against local officials, alleging they acted in an "arbitrary" manner in refusing to grant a use variance after a public hearing on its proposal.

Under cannabis regulations that The Borough Council adopted in November 2022, only one cannabis business is allowed to operate within the highway district, while a store needs to be at least 1,000 feet away from any school.

Blulight has also raised concerns that a company called Summit Wellness LLC, its competitor, might obtain approval to open a store in the vicinity of potential Blulight's retail location.

St. Louis NAACP Demands Immediate Changes To Missouri Marijuana Microbusiness Map

Adolphus Pruitt, the president of St. Louis City NAACP in Missouri, was appalled after reading the specific details of the application required for small cannabis company licenses the state plans to release on Tuesday, June 6, reported Missouri Independent. On Thursday, he urged the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to conduct an "immediate correction."

Why?

Even though he earlier pushed for the constitutional amendment to establish a "microbusiness license" program statewide that sought to hand out cannabis licenses to those living in communities negatively affected by marijuana criminalization, he is now "shocked" by the end result.

Nine of the 121 ZIP Codes listed are in the St. Louis region. However, none of them are situated in North St. Louis, which is where the area's largest African-American population is located.

Other ZIP codes cover downtown Clayton and St. Charles.

"Listen, not today, not if it's legal and not even when it was illegal, will you find a bunch of Black people smoking weed in the middle of Clayton," Pruitt said. "There is no way in the world the people in Clayton have been arrested more than those who live in North St. Louis. It's impossible."

Photo: Benzinga edit of photo by Shutterstock