NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The Office of Cannabis Management failed to meet its self-imposed deadline for delivering a Social and Economic Equity (SEE) plan after blowing past its initial state-imposed deadline at the start of 2023.
The Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act, the legislation that legalized recreational cannabis in New York, stipulates that the OCM has to analyze the impact of the war on drugs and create a plan to maintain an equitable market.
The first rounds of licensure have been informed by a different equity program dubbed the Seeding Opportunities Initiative. Under this plan, the first licenses have gone to people who were impacted by prohibition-era cannabis convictions and nonprofits that support formerly incarcerated people.
Eventually, dispensary licenses will be available to a broader array of applicants, and the SEE plan will guide the department's equity policies moving forward.
The SEE will determine which communities were most impacted by the war on drugs, develop grants and reinvestment funds for those communities, review other equity plans across the nation and formalize criteria for licensure.
The plan was originally due by Jan. 1. After missing the deadline, the OCM said it planned on delivering the report in quarter one of 2023, which ended on March 31.
Trivette Knowles, the community outreach manager for OCM, said the report was delayed by efforts to solicit public input.
“The Social and Economic Equity Plan is one of the most important founding parameters of establishing New York’s cannabis industry. We are committed to creating real opportunities for New Yorkers, taking into account comments received from the public for the proposed adult-use regulations,” Knowles told 1010 WINS. “The SEE plan is nearing completion.”
“We are excited to share it with the public to inform them of the path forward to expand on the momentum we have with our nation-leading Seeding Opportunity Initiative and the equitable market we are building,” he continued.
Related
Related
Related
