Recommendations to Governor Hochul, Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management
1. The Cannabis Control Board should utilize the financing expertise it has on its board with the recent appointment of Reuben McDaniel, III to make money immediately available to fund zero-interest and low-interest loans and the incubator program. In addition, the board should immediately fund the Community Grant Reinvestment Fund, the Drug Treatment Public Education Fund, and the Lottery Fund rather than wait for the collection of tax revenue to monetize these funds.
2. The Cannabis Control Board should immediately utilize its authority under the legislation to register 10 additional medical marijuana companies to social equity applicants, placing the new applicants on equal footing with the 10 existing registered companies.
3. The Control Board should immediately select a Chief Equity Officer that fits the legislation’s definition of individuals who should be given extra priority over all others, namely, a person or the immediate family member of a person who has been convicted of a marijuana drug offence and who is a resident of a community disproportionately impacted by the marijuana drug law.
4. The Governor and the Senate and Assembly leadership should appoint members of the Cannabis Advisory Board that represent community-based organizations, business organizations and religious organizations that have a history of providing social, economic and healthcare services to communities disproportionately impacted by marijuana drug policy.
5. The Cannabis Control Board and the Office of Cannabis Management should prohibit out-of-state cannabis companies from applying for any licenses.
6. The Cannabis Control Board and the Office of Cannabis Management should allow qualified social equity applicants to build their capacity by excluding any licensing awards to applicants other than social equity applicants for 5 years.
7. The Cannabis Control Board should prohibit funding from out-of-state investors or limit their funding to no more than 40%.
8. The Cannabis Control Board should delay existing registered organizations from selling adult use recreational marijuana for five years, allowing social equity applicants to get established.
9. The Cannabis Control Board should assign 50% of all licensed categories to social equity applicants.
10. The Cannabis Control Board and the Office of Cannabis Management should award licenses to social equity applicant for a year without proof of funds or ownership or control of site.
11. The Cannabis Control Board should give social equity applicants 20% of the total application points.
12. The Cannabis Control Board should allow the delivery license category to purchase cannabis products from distributors and dispensaries, warehouse cannabis products, and sell directly to consumers.
13. The Office of Cannabis Management should incentivize cities and counties to adjust their zoning ordinances to support cannabis operations in their localities.
14. The office of Cannabis Management should work with state and city authorities to make state and city owned property exclusively available to social equity applicant at an affordable price and expeditiously.
From our research of social equity programs in other states, we know that without these basic provisions the social equity program in New York will fail.
