- Only eight of the individuals awarded licenses fell outside of New York City and Long Island, spanning the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, and North Country regions.
- New York City and Long Island got 13 and seven dispensaries, respectively.
New York officials approved the state’s first 36 cannabis dispensary licenses on Monday amid a push to begin legal marijuana sales in coming months.
A total of 28 Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary licenses, or CAURD licenses, went to New Yorkers affected by biased enforcement of the decades-long prohibition on marijuana. Another eight CAURD licenses went to nonprofits with a history of helping incarcerated people.
The dispensaries can make cannabis sales to people over 21 years old in the state, officials said, calling it an historic step since the state’s 2021 law legalizing marijuana.
But several speakers during the public hearing raised concerns the fledgling industry could struggle in the face of rampant black market pot sales, including countless unlicensed stores currently selling pot in New York City.
Who got NY cannabis dispensary licenses?
New York’s list of cannabis dispensary winners included a diverse mix of people and businesses, spanning everything from bakery, deli, and restaurant owners to pet supply retailers and vape shop owners.
In order to be eligible for CAURD licenses, a person had to have a cannabis conviction themselves or have a family member who had one, and they must own a profitable…
