Over 100 New York Pot Shops Are Too Close to Schools
New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has admitted to a mistake in calculating the distance between legal weed shops and schools. Authorities claim that some 152 businesses presently are within a parameter too close to schools, and may need to change location in the future. Affected operators must be stressed because of the blunder!
New York laws demand that a weed retailer is situated at least 500 feet apart from objects such as schools. 105 licensees are currently impacted, with the biggest number of affected pot shops being in New York City. Sixty businesses already operate a store, while 47 are pending applicants, according to OCM director Felicia Reid.
Almost Ninety New York City Pot Shops May Need to Relocate
Eighty eight of the licensed weed retailers that might be asked to move away from school areas are in New York City. That’s more than a third of the city’s cannabis shops being affected. The Big Apple is the core of NY state’s cannabis market; it alone has 209 dispensaries out of 436 locations statewide where people can purchase flower, edibles, pre-rolls, or other cannabis goodies and refreshments.
It All Happened Because of ‘Dopey’ Mistake
It looks like someone was potted when they were doing the measurements. OCM misapplied the 500-foot distance rule by conducting the compliance measurement as ranging from a school’s entrance door to a weed shop’s entrance door. When in fact it should have been counted the distance from the entrance of a weed shop to the starting “property line” of a school, instead of the school’s door.
“This impacts 152 businesses: 105 licensees (about 60 are open and operating stores) and 47 pending applications,” OCM director Felicia Reid said in a memo, New York Post reported.
Who Will Fix the Error?
The OCM along with Governor Kathy Hochul are expected to handle the unfortunate mishap by requesting new legislation which will enable affected pot sellers to continue with their retail activities where they are. “This legislation would permit licensees to remain at their current location,” Reid said in the memo, New York Post reported.
If that doesn’t happen, the businesses in question may not have their two-year licenses renewed after expiration. They will either have to move out or they will need to close stores.
Political Opponents Attacked Governor Hochul
Things of course got political. Assemblyman Ed Ra lambasted governor Hochul by saying “her administration can’t even follow a law properly to keep pot shops away from New York’s children.”
“It is laughable for the governor to claim that she has righted the ship at OCM, when her own administration is breaking its own law so more drugs can be sold near our shools,” Assemblyman Matt Slater said, according to New York Post.
New York Cannabis Market is Holding Strong
The New York cannabis market surpassed the $1 billion threshold in retail sales several months ago. By the end of 2025, cannabis sales in the Empire State may reach a solid $1.5 billion. By 2027, this figure should stand above $3.3 billion, according to Green Growth CPAs.
At the moment, more than 50 percent of New York pot shops are run by social and economic equity applicants. The number of legally-operating dispensaries is expected to grow above 600 in the near future. Cannabis businesses are subject to nine percent wholesale tax and 13 percent retail tax.
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Stephen Andrews
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