New York’s draft conditional retail regulations raise practical concerns

The very specific requirements for qualifying applicants, and the system for selecting dispensary locations and assigning applicants to these locations, may complicate the application process.

It is an exciting time in New York, as there is finally momentum towards the first sales in the adult-use cannabis market. Just weeks after Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill to permit qualified hemp farmers to start growing the first batch of adult-use cannabis, the Cannabis Control Board has released draft regulations that would award the first 100 retail licenses to applicants that meet certain requirements, most notably that an individual applicant or an immediate family member have a past conviction for a marijuana-related offense in New York.