Why There Are Still So Few Places to (Legally) Buy Marijuana in New York
Why There Are Still So Few Places to (Legally) Buy Marijuana in New York
Court challenges and bureaucratic roadblocks have created hurdles for would-be cannabis sellers in the state.
Short story: a bunch of businesses are suing NY for rights to sell in state, outside of NY's onboarding program that gives preference to NY businesses during the first years of onbaording.
It's not right. We've been held hostage for a number of years now due to corporate greed that isn't even our own state.
NYS's legal dispensery license roll out has been a shitshow . Contrast that with New Mexico's and it looks even worse . NM and NY legalized recreational about the same time . NM went with a more free market approach and (don't quote me on this) has close to one dispensery per 2000 residents at the moment (data at https://crop.rld.nm.gov/sales.html). How NY messed up so bad is beyond me .
The lawsuits is what has us messed up. It has delayed us years already. We had a rollout plan focused on supporting NY businesses, that was interrupted at the getgo due to greed of out of state companies that wanted their piece. The only reason we're held up is because out of state businesses are tying our hands.
Seems like every Bodega and head shop in NYC is selling weed on the side. They've really created a problem for themselves because the market has already been filled. The licensed dispensaries will still capture some of the high-end market, but most NYC stoners can already find good bud and even edibles and concentrates at a good price and convenient location.