On September 12, New York’s Cannabis Control Board (NYCCB) announced that there will be an opening date for applications for general adult-use cannabis licenses.
The board held a meeting and said that applications will be available through the New York Business Express (NYBE) platform beginning October 4. These applications include cultivator, processor, distributor, microbusiness and retail dispensary licenses.
This allows for anyone to apply for a license, not only individuals with prior convictions. Adult-use cannabis licenses in good standing will also be able to apply for transition to non-conditional licenses through the NYBE portal and have 12 months to submit the proper documentation before becoming fully licensed and operational.
Will the Lawsuits Impact License Approvals?
The announcement follows recent lawsuits against the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) which have brought the issuance of new cannabis licenses in New York State to a halt.
“Effectively, the lawsuits are still in place, but I’m expecting over the next few weeks that there will be pretty extensive settlement negotiations,” Ryan McCall, a cannabis law attorney at Tully Rinckey, says. “New York will try to do what it can to salvage this to seem like a victory, but I think we will still be dealing with the opposing party not wanting to settle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out and say that they don’t want to let up on the lawsuit until something happens.”
The NYS Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis announced it will be holding its first hearing on the lawsuit on Tuesday, October 30 at 11 a.m. in Albany. So we won’t know the direct impact it may have until then.
How Can Individuals Prepare?
What McCall has been suggesting to those who are interested in applying for one of the cannabis applications is to make sure you have all of your ducks in a row. “Get the financing aspect down, get your proposed location down, have all of your business plans ready, and get any certifications you may need for the application,” McCall notes.
Similarly to how most legal states have been accepting applications, there will be a tier system with the license rollouts which will give preference to women-owned, minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses. If you are a business owner who falls under those qualifications, be sure to get your certification in on time for the deadline.
Click here to read all the details you need in order to receive certifications for women-owned and minority-owned businesses. And click here to read all the details you need in order to receive certification for veteran-owned businesses.
