An aspiring cannabis retailer on Manhattan's East Side has been forced to abruptly withdraw its application, shedding light on yet another regulatory hiccup in New York's legal marijuana rollout. The NYC shop, operated by Joshua Gleiber under the name HF Dispensary LLC, had planned to open a licensed cannabis dispensary at 998-1000 First Avenue, between East 54th and 55th Streets. However, the application was suddenly pulled from Community Board 6's agenda last week, as confusion over zoning rules derailed the process.
In a note sent to the board on July 31, Gleiber formally requested the removal of his NYC shop proposal due to a growing controversy tied to how the state calculates required distances between cannabis dispensaries and sensitive sites such as schools and churches.
The debacle stems from a recent correction by the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), which admitted it had misinterpreted its own zoning rules. Previously, the OCM approved dispensary locations based on the distance between the entrance of a NYC shop and the entrance of a nearby school or church. However, it has now determined that this calculation was flawed.
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