We walked 10 blocks of 9th Avenue yesterday afternoon and counted eight smoke shops. As Hell’s Kitchen fills with these new stores, the city has announced that they plan to grant only 22 licenses to open recreational marijuana dispensaries across the whole of Manhattan in the first round.
New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) opened its business license application yesterday and a new report details how few available permits will be granted in Manhattan for the first wave of the program.
The Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) License, New York’s first legal retail license for cannabis distribution, has been set up to allow those who were disproportionately affected by the city’s previous drug laws to obtain dispensary licenses. Justice-involved individuals and family members who can verify that they were “convicted of a marijuana-related offense in New York State before March 31, 2021” are currently eligible to apply.
But in a report recently released by the OCM, just 150 total licenses will be granted across the state — with only 22 for Manhattan and just 19, 16, 10 and three granted respectively in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island (according to Marijuana Moment). The OCM says the maximum license calculation was created in relation to each region’s commuter-adjusted population.
OCM spokesperson Aaron Ghitelman told Marijuana Moment: “The primary goal of the CAURD license is to create opportunities for New Yorkers harmed most by the prohibition of cannabis. Part of that is granting up to 150 CAURD licenses to individuals who themselves, or their close family members, have had past eligible cannabis-related offenses and have ownership stakes in profitable businesses.” The OCM and Adams administration, who hope to open dispensaries as early as the end of the year, estimate up to $1.3 billion in sales by 2023, and between 19,000-24,000 jobs created over the next three years. W42ST reached out to the OCM to confirm whether additional licenses would be granted after the 150 allotted across regions run out, and we will update if we hear back.
Mayor Adams, who announced support for the program in a press conference on Monday, has explained the city’s priority in assisting those interested in applying for a license. “The regulated adult-use cannabis industry is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our underserved communities that have, for too long, faced disproportionate rates of drug-related incarceration to get in on the industry on the ground floor,” he said. “Cannabis NYC will plant the seeds for the economy of tomorrow by helping New Yorkers apply for licenses and understand how to open and successfully run a business, while simultaneously rolling equity into our economy by giving those who have been justice-involved and those with a cannabis conviction a chance to succeed. This is about creating good jobs, successful small businesses, and finally delivering equity to communities harmed by the ‘War on Drugs.’”
“For generations, communities of color across our city have experienced the compounding social and economic impacts of the ‘War on Drugs.’ The end of prohibition and the emerging New York cannabis industry opens avenues for change and prosperity,” added Mayor’s Office of Equity Commissioner Sideya Sherman. “Getting started is the first step. With Cannabis NYC, New Yorkers now have a one-stop shop for navigating the licensing process, access to no-cost services, and ongoing support as the industry continues to evolve. We’re excited for this new chapter and what it means for those individuals and communities most harmed.”
Adams is also pushing the enforcement of shutting down illegal distribution, including potential violations from Midtown’s many “Weed World” trucks (busted recently not for distribution, but parking tickets). But with officials moving to clear over 400,000 past marijuana convictions, the process to obtain one of just 70 licenses across the 5 boroughs may leave many prospective businesses up in smoke.
The post As New York’s Cannabis Business Lights Up, Will There Be Enough Dispensary Licenses to Go Around? appeared first on W42ST.
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