Pace of NY’s cannabis roll-out gets slower

WTF NY?
The pace of New York’s cannabis roll-out is actually slowing down

What now? A new lawsuit has been filed against the Office of Cannabis Management by a business in Jamesville, New York claiming the OCM’s approach of allocating licenses with preferences to justice involved individuals is biased against white men.

The suit says New York’s Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary licensing program, designed to give minority entrepreneurs and those harmed by the War on Drugs preferential access to the state’s cannabis industry, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution.

Last week’s drama: The Cannabis Control Board in New York was due to meet last week to approve both the latest round retail licenses and approve home grow. Then, the meeting was abruptly canceled.

On Friday afternoon, we learned that the Governor is increasingly “fed up” with how slow everything appears to be in New York. 

What’s next? It’s hard for us to judge the merits of this particular case, given that we’re the furthest thing from lawyers. But it was perhaps predictable that the CAURD program would be challenged on the basis of the Equal Protection Clause. 

So, if only the Cultivated team could answer what’s next? We honestly do not know. 

We know that more lawsuits, even those with limited merit, canceled meetings, and a frustrated governor do not necessarily spell a faster roll-out for New York cannabis.

But: The OCM is touting 59 cannabis dispensaries operating in a state of ~20,000,000 through Insta…

Read more: New York State employs just 14 cannabis investigators as thousands of illegal shops operate. 

Hawaii legislators have proposed a raft of new cannabis-related bills. 

West Virginia legislators introduced House Bill 4873, which would legalize cannabis for adults over the age of 21.

RED WEED WAVE?
Democrats and (younger) Republicans favor legalization

Driving the news: Cannabis is no longer becoming a clear red or blue issue, according to new polling from the Republican polling firm The Tarrance Group. 

What’s it say? The polling suggests that among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans younger than 55, a strong majority of voters answered yes to this question: “Do you favor or oppose legalization of marijuana by the US government, which would legalize it in all 50 states?”

A bit more detail: Democrats younger than 55 were the strongest cohort supporting legalization — to the tune of 74%. 

Where will it matter: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said last week that he expects legalization to be on the 2024 ballot in his home state.

That’s the same ballot that will (most likely) see a Biden/Trump rematch.

Is the Florida ballot measure enough to drive increased Democratic turn-out to sway the Florida Presidential election in November? 

It goes without saying, legalization is probably way down the list on issues important to voters. But could it turn out enough folks at the margins in a crucial swing state like Florida? Inquiring political stoners want to know!

(And if you’re reading this and an expert on elections and political science, please reach out by replying to this email. We’d love to hear from you). 

Peak pot? Cannabis sales growth is going up in smoke | The Globe and Mail

Full Implementation of Minnesota’s new marijuana law facing delays | Pre-Employ Blog

Kansas medical marijuana activists step up push For lawmakers to finally legalize patient access | Marijuana Moment

A sign of the times? Trailblazing financial analyst Vivien Azer is leaving TD Cowen after nearly a decade. Azer was one of the first analysts at a major American investment bank to cover cannabis stocks.

In a LinkedIn post announcing her exit, she said: “Years of cannabis coverage leave me with this: change takes time, and often longer than we’d like, but this ~$30 bn legal industry (in the U.S. alone) is still set to be the most disruptive consumer trend of my lifetime.”

Longtime cannabis advocate Justin Strekal is moving on to, perhaps less-green pastures. 

Strekal, formerly a political director at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws among other top positions in the DC cannabis advocacy world, said in a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter that he’s retiring from cannabis to focus on his hometown of Cleveland.