The first people to sell marijuana and start dispensaries in New York were meant to be people with prior marijuana-related convictions, but some of those businesspeople have encountered difficulties along the way.
As part of the CAURD program, John received his conditional adult-use retail dispensary license back in March. For persons with prior marijuana-related convictions who want to enter the market first, CAURD licenses are available.
Before getting his license, John sold marijuana, but once he was able to do so legally, he stopped. He looked for a facility in Williamsburg but claims the state turned him down in four separate places. Seven months later, he's hit another roadblock: the state is no longer allowed to grant licenses or allow enterprises to establish up, according to a state judge presiding over two lawsuits.
Two dispensaries are located across the street from the last location John tried to rent, but the state claims that no licensed dispensaries are located on that block.
Total Licenses For Dispensaries
According to state statistics, the Bronx and Brooklyn each have at least 30 final and provisional CAURD licenses. Only two retailers have opened in the Bronx and none have in Brooklyn, according to the state's Office of Cannabis Management, out of a total of 23 openings nationwide.
John claims that because the procedure has taken so long, he has lost touch with all of his investors and is now concerned that, when the time comes for him to launch his company, he won't be able to locate any new ones.
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