Applications for cannabis cultivation, processing, distribution, retail, and micro licenses opens today in New York State.
Up until this point, and since the legalization of cannabis in 2021, licenses were only open to those with a prior cannabis-related criminal offense.
The State Office of Cannabis Management will still be giving priority to social and economic equity (SEE) applicants.
The OCM defines SEE applicants as those “from communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of past prohibition, minority- and women-owned businesses, distressed farmers, and service-disabled veterans.”
The latest application window will be open for 60 days and expect more application periods in the future.
General licenses will be valid for two years and businesses will have to renew and meet certain standards of operations in order to have that license renewed.
Since the start of the original licenses, the OCM said around 700 licenses have been given out.
They plan to issue as many as 1,500 licenses for cultivation, retail, processing and microbusinesses.
The vast majority – between 500 and 1,000 – are designated for retail dispensaries.
OCM officials anticipate about 60,000 jobs to be created in the next several years from this industry.
For more information, visit https://cannabis.ny.gov/
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