NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The New York Office of Cannabis Management voted on Thursday to approve the final language of the applications aspiring entrepreneurs will need to file in order to earn licenses to sell marijuana.
The step brings the promise of legal adult-use cannabis dispensaries one step closer to reality after recreational marijuana was legalized in September 2021.
The finalized applications affirm the Seeding Opportunity Initiative, a program designed to give first dibs to people with business experience who were incarcerated due to a cannabis-related conviction.
Those who had a family member incarcerated due to the war on drugs will also have access to the first wave of applications.
The OCM promised to post the opening date for applications at least 14 days in advance of the application period.
The agency said it intends to have dispensaries open by the end of the year.
“Today’s vote confirms New York’s commitment to prioritizing equity, and keeps us on track to have the first sales before the end of 2022,” said Tremaine Wright, Chair of the Cannabis Control Board. “Thanks to the tremendous effort to advance the Seeding Opportunity Imitative, we’re succeeding in a way that has never been seen before. New York is launching its legal, regulated industry with business savvy entrepreneurs who have been directly harmed by the prohibition of cannabis.”
In pursuit of its end-of-year target, the OCM issued licenses for farms to grow cannabis intended for recreational consumption ahead of the summer growing season.
An additional 20 cultivators were approved for a license on Thursday, bringing the total number up to 223.
Applications for cultivation licenses opened on March 15.
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