New Yorkers can shop at tribal dispensaries while NY retail cannabis still in works
NEW YORK STATE (WRGB) — It’s been nearly eight months since New York legalized recreational marijuana, and while it allowed New Yorkers to consume and possess it, launching the retail side of things has lagged.
That’s because there are still no rules and regulations for adult use marijuana. That’s something the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is still working on. No licenses have been issued either.
“The application process should begin next year so we can get everything in order so we can have these dispensaries open in a timely fashion,” said Devon Brott, Chairman of the New York State Cannabis Expo & Conference.
CBS6’s Briana Supardi asked Brott when New Yorkers should realistically expect dispensaries to open.
“Not until 2023. It’s going to take time to get all this into play,” he answered.
But there are still dispensaries within the borders of New York State. Shops have opened up on tribal territory— land sovereign from New York State government.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe adopted its adult use cannabis ordinance back in June and started accepting retail applications in September.
They along with the Seneca and Cayuga Nations have shops open on their territories.
OCM spokesperson Freeman Kloplott said that tribal dispensaries are “legal if they are on federally recognized, sovereign tribal land.”
Klopott sent CBS6’s a statement on the state’s progress to launch retail cannabis, saying, “The Office of Cannabis Management was established Oct. 5, 2021 at the first meeting of the Cannabis Control Board, which followed swift action by Governor Hochul and the Legislature to appoint the Board, however the expectation was appointments would be made by the previous administration right after the MRTA was enacted in March. The original estimate, which was aggressive, was that it would take 18 months for regulations to be finalized and sales to begin. Now that the Board is constituted and the OCM established, we can really begin to look at the timeline and see if there is an opportunity to expedite the process, including the potential to issue some licenses on a rolling basis.”
