A New York judge on Friday signed off on a settlement between the state Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and four military veterans who had sued the state over its social equity licensing plan, ending the months-long injunction on cannabis industry licensing in the state, Spectrum News reports. Under the terms of the settlement, the veterans will receive dispensary licenses and the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) will not approve other dispensaries near their planned locations.
The CCB approved the settlement last Monday, but it required final approval from the state Supreme Court. State officials did not admit to wrongdoing under the terms of the deal.
In a statement, OCM Executive Director Chris Alexander said he was “deeply relieved for the many entrepreneurs, who have spent the last three months trapped in limbo, who are now able to open their cannabis businesses, and for our communities, which will soon begin to see more stores open faster.”
“Today is a good day for New York, for the dream of equity in cannabis, and for every New Yorker hoping to have a legal, licensed cannabis dispensary in their community.” — Alexander, in a statement, via WHEC
The settlement allows 436 provisional licensees to open their dispensaries or delivery services once their applications are finalized but state regulators would be prohibited from issuing any new or additional licenses through the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program until April 1, 2024.
Twenty-three businesses had been ready to open before the injunction.
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