New York regulators waive license fee for cannabis farmers
The Cannabis Control Board also approved 114 new licenses at Friday’s meeting.
New York state cannabis regulators on Friday agreed to waive licensing fees for adult-use conditional cultivators that apply for transition to full licensure.
During a Cannabis Control Board meeting, Office of Cannabis Management executive director Chris Alexander acknowledged the “great angst in our farmer community” caused by the delays in rolling out the state’s adult-use market.
Alexander also acknowledged that the full impact to small farmers is still being assessed, but noted that this measure is designed to provide “some semblance of relief.”
The waiver of fees is retroactive, and refunds will be processed for those who have already paid.
“Farmers are the backbone of our state, and we’re making sure the family farms across New York that are building our cannabis industry have a real chance to succeed,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement about the resolution.
More licenses
In addition, the state’s Cannabis Control Board 114 new adult-use licenses, which included:
- 45 retail dispensaries, 38 of which are nonconditional, meaning they already have locations
- 31 microbusinesses
- 14 cultivation licenses
- 14 processors
- 10 distributors
The board also approved license renewals for all 17 testing labs that are already operational in the state.
To date, New York has 88 licensed dispensaries open. This latest round of approvals brings the total number of licenses issued so far in 2024 to 223.
The board also noted that it had sent more than 500 deficiency letters to applicants, which provides the opportunity for those applicants to correct the issues.
