New York judge blocks retail marijuana licensing, a major blow to state's fledgling program

Source: Associated Press

New York judge blocks retail marijuana licensing, a major blow to state’s fledgling program

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Updated 6:10 PM EDT, August 18, 2023

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A New York judge blocked the state’s retail marijuana licensing program on Friday, dealing a devastating blow to the fledgling marketplace after a group of veterans sued over rules that allowed people with drug convictions to open the first dispensaries.

New York Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant blocked the state from processing or issuing marijuana dispensary licenses with an injunction that faulted regulators for creating a program that is at odds with the state law that legalized the drug.

The order represents a severe setback for the state’s legal marijuana industry, which has been defined by a slow licensing rollout, a glut of excess marijuana crops and legal challenges that have allowed an illicit market to boom.

The veterans’ lawsuit argues that state marijuana regulators improperly limited the initial round of licenses to people with prior marijuana convictions, rather than a wider group of so-called social equity applicants included in the original law. The judge last week temporarily blocked the state’s program as legal arguments in the case played out, with Friday’s order extending the shut down.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-pot-new-york-dispensary-11309564fe45ddce653c29752227b503