“THE premier conference for the NYS cannabis industry…“
“The CWCBExpo has always been THE premier conference for the NYS cannabis industry, well before adult use was legalized. CWCBExpo has carefully curated a physical nexus for business leaders and the advocacy community to network and to celebrate cannabis.” – Kristin Jordan, Founder, CEO, Park-Jordan; andFounder, Asian Cannabis Roundtable
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New York State News
Cannabis Revenue Report
The Office of Cannabis Management has issued their 2023 Annual Report. In the report, retail cannabis sales revenue for store fronts is detailed as of December 9, 2023. The document is well-organized, convenient to read through and is available for download. In addition, the report details facts, stats and information about licenses issued in 2023, legal dispensaries, the social equity program and many other topics.
Eradicating Illicit Cannabis Operations
On January 9, 2024 Governor Kathy Hochull outlined in her State of the State Address that NYS is firmly committed to supporting legal cannabis shops and shutting down illegal cannabis operations across the state. Hochul outlined the goal:
“As we continue to build and expand the most equitable legal cannabis market in the nation, we cannot let the brazen, illegal operators undermine public health and threaten our neighborhoods,” Governor Hochul said. “Last year, we passed new laws to padlock and shut down illegal operators, but we know there’s more to be done and we need more tools to do it. We’re going to continue working with local leaders, including in New York City, to shut down illegal cannabis stores once and for all.”
Hochul proposed new legislation that:
- Cracks down on ilicit cannabis store fronts and closes them down
- Expands the powers of the OCM to combat illicit cannabis operations including authorizing local governments to padlock them
Cannabis Potency Tax
Also on Hochul’s cannabis to-do list was a proposal to reform the cannabis potency tax to be reduced to a flat 9% excise tax. The potency tax is an onerous tax that makes legal cannabis very expensive and deters buyers from going into legal dispensaries to buy products. This proposal tries to address that.
New York Dispensary Openings
The Emerald Dispensary, Bushwick, Brooklyn
Congratulations to the Emerald Dispensary, who opened their doors on Sunday, January 14, 2024. Owned by Christina de Giovanni, Founder and CEO of Emerald Media Group, and Ramon Roman, it’s the first legal, adult-use cannabis dispensary in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
The Flowery, Charleston, Staten Island
We highlighted in our August 2023 Newsletter that Staten Island would soon have its first adult-use cannabis dispensary. The Flowery dispensary opened its doors on January 17, 2023. Congratulations to its owners Schlomo Weinstock and Mohamed “Mo” Elgaly.
RISE, Rochester, New York
With this Rochester location, RISE now has 4 dispensaries in New York, 3 in New Jersey and 2 in Connecticut. The Rochester location provides medical and recreational products, and offer both delivery and in-store shopping.
NugHub, Staten Island, NY
This new Staten Island business offers delivery only service to Staten Island and Brooklyn.
Just a Little Higher, Queens, NY
This Queens based delivery only business services the 5 boroughs and Long Island.
New Jersey News
NJCRC Says Consumption Lounges are Coming Soon
More good news from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) regarding consumption lounges. On January 18, 2024, the NJCRC issued the guidelines for consumption lounges and how they can be part of an existing dispensary. What is appealing about the NJCRC guidelines is that the fees to add a consumption lounge to one’s dispensary appear reasonable.
Connecticut News
First Year Adult Use Sales Revenue
January 10, 2024 marked the first full year since adult-use sales began in Connecticut yielding a combined sales revenue of $274 million for adult-use and medical cannabis.
“One year ago, the state of Connecticut opened an entirely new market, creating jobs, opportunity, and a safe, regulated way for adults to purchase cannabis,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “This was no small task, and the team at DCP launched this new market in a thoughtful, measured way. Since then, many new businesses have opened and more are on the way. We are proud of the work carried out by our agency over the past year, and we are looking forward to continued growth, fair regulation, collaboration with our sister agencies, and thoughtful problem solving as new challenges present themselves in the years to come.”
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection provides detailed data about cannabis sales with easy to read charts and figures that report retail sales month-to-month in 2023. |
Federal News
Rescheduling
The issue of rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III classification has heated up this month since the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released unredacted documents which revealed that the HHS has a clear position recommending that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reschedule it to Schedule III. In addition, the unredacted documents discusses quite explicitly that cannabis has medicinal use. The unredacted documents provide an inside look at what the HHS was really thinking to reach the recommendation they made to the DEA.
Twelve Attorneys General Ink Letter to DEA
Also this month, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser led eleven other Attorneys General to sign a letter calling on the DEA to reschedule cannabis and stating that they are supportive of the HHS’ recommendations to reschedule it from Schedule I to Schedule III. The states joining Colorado were New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Nevada, Rhode Island, Illinois and Maryland.
THIS MONTH’S ARCHIVED VIDEO
“Conditional Licensing and Cannabis Retail in NYS”
This session’s participants were the the first of NY’s legal dispensary operators and suppliers. They discussed the things that they wished they had known when they started. Recorded at CWCBExpo on June 1, 2023, at the Javits Convention Center.
This session was moderated by Kristin Jordan, Founder, CEO Park-Jordan, with Matthew Bernardo, President, Housing Works Cannabis Co.; Arana Hankin-Biggers, President, Union Square Travel Agency; Roland Conner, Founder, CEO, SMACKED Dispensary; Howard Hoffman, CEO, Omnium Canna; and Marvin Morales, Founder, Morales Family Farms.
(From the left) Matthew Bernardo, Arana Hankin-Biggers, Roland Conner, Howard Hoffman,
Marvin Morales, and Moderator, Kristin Jordan
The CWCBExpo BLOG
CWCBExpo blogs contain relevant, timely information. Recent subjects include “8 cannabis statistics and trends for 2024.”
Get Your Exhibit Space Today.
June 5 – 6, 2024
Javits Convention Center, NYC