New York Cannabis News

The New York State Bar has formally offered approval of legalizing adult-use cannabis in the state; the governor has already included legalization revenues in his 2021 executive budget.

New York’s University of Buffalo School of Law is offering its first cannabis industry bridge course covering compliance and other issues important to the cannabis space.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers are sparring over cannabis revenues and the governor’s plan to legalize as part of the state budget bill.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has again included legalization tax revenues in his official budget for the year; Cuomo did the same last year, although the state ultimately failed to adopt legalization reforms.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo renewed his pledge to legalize cannabis during his 2020 State of the State address this week.

New York Gov. Cuomo has hired Norman Birenbaum — who previously served as the top cannabis regulator in Rhode Island — to help oversee New York’s transition to legal cannabis, which lawmakers say is a priority for next year.

A bill signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will establish rules and regulations for the New York’s hemp and CBD industry; the bill establishes a licensing process for hemp growers, processors, and manufacturers, and includes lab testing and product labeling requirements.

Brooklyn’s DA office dropped the charges against a man who was arrested after receiving a 106-pound shipment of legal hemp; the shipment was seized and recipient arrested following a tip from FedEx, who delivered the product.

Criminal charges have not been dropped against a Brooklyn man who received a 106-pound shipment of hemp from Vermont; two weeks ago, police said the charges would be dropped after confirming the shipment to be hemp.

The district attorney in Brooklyn, New York has announced that charges against the recipient of a large hemp shipment will be dropped; police had confiscated the shipment and described it as a major cannabis bust.

Jason Ambrosino is founder of the Veterans Hemp Market, a New York-based organization dedicated to providing hemp flower products for “military veterans, patriots, and the everyday warrior.”

The products are Ground Flower Pods from Curaleaf, they are meant for use with a vaporizer, and it’s the first cannabis flower product to be available under New York’s medical cannabis program.

Cannabis vape products tested by the New York State Health Department contained high levels of vitamin E acetate, a compound that has been linked to vape-related pulmonary illnesses; the agency did not say if the compound was found in products available via state-licensed dispensaries.

Nearly everyone arrested for low-level cannabis crimes in New York City so far in 2019 has been Black or Latinx, despite the continued liberalization of New York cannabis laws.

A Manhattan judge has sealed hundreds of cannabis possession cases in the wake of a successful class action petition brought in part by the borough’s district attorney.

An industrial hemp seed bank is under construction at Cornell University in Geneva, New York.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill into law that establishes an expungement process for low-level criminal charges and expands the state’s existing decriminalization rules.

New York lawmakers, after failing to adopt adult-use legalization this session, have approved legislation expanding cannabis decriminalization in the state and establishing a framework for the automatic expungement of low-level cannabis convictions.

The last-minute efforts to legalize or decriminalize adult-use cannabis in New York before the legislature adjourns for the year have failed; lawmakers will have to pursue the issue again next year.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing for lawmakers to pass a statewide legalization measure before the New York legislative session ends tomorrow.

Medical cannabis company Columbia Care, which operates in 12 states, has launched its own credit card for patients in New York. According to the company, the option has boosted sales in an otherwise cash-only marketplace and there are plans to introduce the card next in Illinois.

The New York Farm Bureau has announced its support for pending legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis. The legislation would give farmers priority consideration for cannabis cultivation licenses.

Recent polling data suggests that a strong 55 percent majority of New Yorkers support cannabis legalization, including an overwhelming 75 percent of young voters.

Hoping for the governor’s support, New York lawmakers have raised the proposed tax rate, lowered possession limits, and added expungement for low-level cannabis convictions to the state’s pending adult-use legislation.