ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Mon, March 18, 2024
FILE - Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, N.Y., May 12, 2023. New York will evaluate its troubled recreational marijuana licensing program after lawsuits and bureaucratic stumbles severely hampered the legal market and allowed black-market sellers to flourish, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York will evaluate its troubled recreational marijuana licensing program after lawsuits and bureaucratic stumbles severely hampered the legal market and allowed black-market sellers to flourish, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered Monday.
The review will focus on ways the state can speed up license processing times and allow businesses to open faster, as well as a top-down assessment of the Office of Cannabis Management's structure and systems.
Hochul, a Democrat, has described the state's recreational marijuana rollout as a “ disaster." Just over 80 legal shops have opened since sales began at the end of 2022.
The state's legalization law reserved the first round of retail licenses for nonprofits and people with prior marijuana convictions. It also set up a $200 million “ social equity ” fund to help applicants open up shops, all in an effort to help those harmed by the war on drugs get a foothold of the state's marketplace.
But the permitting process was soon beset by legal challenges and the so-called equity fund struggled to get off the ground, stalling growth of the legal market.
In the meantime, unlicensed storefronts opened up all over the state, especially in New York City, with the problem becoming so pronounced that Hochul last month asked such online entities as Google and Yelp to stop listing them online.
Still, state regulators have had trouble dealing with the overwhelming volume of applications. The Office of Cannabis Management has just 32 people reviewing license applications but has received about 7,000 applications since last fall, a spokesman said.
The assessment of the program was also announced days after a top official at the cannabis agency was put on administrative leave following a report from New York Cannabis Insider that alleged the agency had selectively enforced rules to punish a marijuana processor.
The state's review will embed Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the state's Office of General Services, and other state government officials, in the cannabis management agency for at least 30 days. The group also will come up with plans to improve how the agency functions and set performance metrics moving forward, according to a news release.
“We have built a cannabis market based on equity, and there is a lot to be proud of," said Chris Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management. "At the same time, there is more we can do to improve OCM’s operations and we know Commissioner Moy, a proven leader in government, will help us get where we need to be."
Gov. Hochul orders ‘top-down’ review of NY's marijuana licensing process
Tim Balk, New York Daily News
Mon, March 18, 2024
NEW YORK — New York state has launched a comprehensive review of its sluggish process for licensing cannabis shops, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Monday, targeting a tortured legalization rollout that has allowed a sprawling market of unlicensed retailers to emerge across New York City.
The governor tapped Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the state Office of General Services, to conduct the analysis. In a statement, Hochul’s office said Moy would embed with the Office of Cannabis Management for at least a month and carry out a “top-down review” focused on hastening permitting.
The state began to issue its first retail marijuana licenses in 2022. A complex process for approving permits for sellers has limited the rollout. As of this winter, the city had fewer than 40 legal cannabis retailers, according to the much-maligned Office of Cannabis Management.
At the same time, an estimated 2,500 illicit pot shops have cropped up across the five boroughs, according to Mayor Eric Adams’ office.
The unlicensed joints appear to be challenging the legal stores’ ability to take off, and many of the illicit pot shops target kids, according to officials.
The rollout of some licensed shops has been delayed by legal battles. And the state’s permitting process was initially slowed by bureaucratic red tape.
Hochul, who has presided over the bumpy legalization rollout, has acknowledged that the process has been disastrous.
She has moved to grant broader power to city authorities to weed out the illicit shops. And on Monday, she turned her focus to the permitting process.
“Today, we take the first step in revamping New York’s legal cannabis industry to ensure its long-term success,” Hochul said in a statement, expressing confidence in Moy’s ability to “jumpstart the next phase of New York’s legal cannabis market.”
Moy has served as the commissioner of the state General Services Office since 2021. In a statement, she said she looked forward to working with the leadership in the Cannabis Management Office, and to finding “ways to streamline the application process and get businesses open.”
Thailand to ban recreational marijuana by end of 2024
Ryan General
Mon, March 18, 2024
[Source]
Thailand, which decriminalized cannabis in 2022, is poised to reverse course and snuff out the recreational market by the end of the year.
Key points:
Draft legislation banning recreational cannabis use is already up for cabinet approval, aiming for full implementation by the end of 2024, reported Reuters.
Under the new measures, medical marijuana would remain legal.
Officials cite the need to protect youth from what they deem the negative impacts of cannabis.
Catch up:
Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in 2018 and the first in Asia to allow recreational use in 2022.
The details:
Trending on NextShark: Thailand to ban recreational marijuana by end of 2024
The decriminalization fueled an economic boom in Thailand, with the cannabis sector projected to reach $1.2 billion in value next year. Cannabis-themed businesses, festivals and open cannabis use have become common in the country.
The draft law proposes fines of up to 60,000 baht ($1,670) for recreational use, while advertisement or marketing campaigns regarding such use could draw jail terms of up to a year or fines ranging as high as 100,000 baht ($2,780).
Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew emphasized the negative impact of recreational marijuana on Thai children. He noted that the proposed ban aims to regulate cannabis use more comprehensively after criticisms of hasty and fragmented regulations following its decriminalization.
Illegal cannabis shops will face closure, with the government discouraging home cultivation, while around 20,000 legally registered shops may be subject to tighter regulations.
What’s next:
The draft bill banning recreational cannabis is expected to undergo cabinet approval next month before heading to Parliament for passage before becoming law. Enforcement is slated before the year's end.
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