Governor ‘Very Angry’ With Cannabis Dispensary Problem in New York

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has a message for the over 150 cannabis dispensaries that were recently informed they might have to close or relocate.

Last week, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) notified 152 cannabis dispensaries across New York State that they could be facing the possibility of having to close or relocate after state officials discovered that their locations are too close to schools and places of worship.

Cannabis Shops Can't be Near New York Schools/Churches

In New York, all legally licensed cannabis shops are required to be at least 500 feet from the property line of a school or 200 feet from a house of worship. Each dispensary, which has been granted a license and in some cases was approved by the state, long believed that they were far enough away from schools and churches when they opened.

Measurement Problems in New York

The problem arose after state officials discovered that miscalculations were made in measuring the distance between the select dispensaries and nearby schools, according to WRGB. The state acknowledged that it had made an error in its calculations and had been using an incorrect method to assess the dispensary's distance from school grounds.

Ever Inch Matters in New York

Since 2022, OCM officials have been measuring from entrance to entrance, and now, they've begun to measure from the main entrance of the dispensary to the property lines of nearby schools. That change has led to over 150 dispensaries being informed they were in violation and needed to make changes.

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Many of the dispensaries that received the notice were blindsided and left them unsure about how they were going to be able to stay open, or in some cases, open for the first time.

Matthew Robinson, director of the Cannabis Retail Alliance of New York, told WRGB,

"Every dispensary that I talk to that's been affected by this is just out of the box for words. I mean, some of these guys are just losing it. Some of them invested a good chunk of some, even their life savings into this business."

 

New York Governor "Very Angry" Over Miscalculations

On Friday, while at a press event, New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her anger over the miscalculations, stating,

“It’s a major screw up. When I found out about it, I was very angry, to say the least. Because these people have worked hard, they’ve waited a long time, they put their life savings into something that they thought was going to help them support their families. I visited so many of them."

 

Hochul assured owners that they will not be exposed to legal problems, saying,

"They will not be exposed to legal problems. They will not be exposed. When you have to give out a government notification just to let them know that there is a glitch found, but we’re fixing it — no, no one wants to get that letter."

 

The state also confirmed that they are taking immediate action to support cannabis store owners impacted by this issue, according to WTEN.