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☆ New York Vowed to Shut Down Illegal Weed Shops. It Just Licensed One.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A year after New York legalized marijuana for recreational use, a bright-green sign shaped like the plant’s leaf signaled the arrival of a dispensary called Budega on an industrial corner in Queens. The sleek shop, where customers purchase memberships for points that can be redeemed for weed, is one of thousands of illegal dispensaries that the state vowed to shut down. Their owners would be banned from the legal cannabis market, officials said. The situation exposes lapses in the vetting process, undercutting New York officials’ assurances that those who jumped the line to cash in on cannabis would not be rewarded over those who played by the rules. He owns Budega NYC, a clothing and lifestyle brand whose name he intended to use for his own dispensary.

Persons: Budega, “, ”, Alex Norman Organizations: New Locations: York, Queens, New York

☆ A Holiday for Weed Fans, Complete With Corporate Sponsors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the culture of cannabis, April 20 is a high holiday when those who partake light up in enjoyment and in protest of prohibition. Although the origins of “4/20” are debated — according to popular lore, a group of California high school students in the 1970s met after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke weed — the day has been globally celebrated for years. Until recently in New York, celebrations carried the risk of arrest or fines, so they would often take place in secret locations or places where the authorities were somewhat lenient, like Washington Square Park. In 2020, the police busted a pot party in Manhattan, not because people were smoking weed but because they were flouting social-distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic. And a growing number of celebrations — some with brand sponsors — have emerged, catering to users new and old as well as people who are just “canna-curious.”

Organizations: Washington Locations: California, New York, Manhattan

☆ New York Must Figure Out How to Fix Cannabis Mess, Hochul Orders
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kathy Hochul has told New York officials to come up with a fix for the way the state licenses cannabis businesses amid widespread frustration over the plodding pace of the state’s legal cannabis rollout and the explosion of unlicensed dispensaries. The main goal of the review, to be conducted by Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the Office of General Services, is to shorten the time it takes to process applications and get businesses open, officials said. The state Office of Cannabis Management, which recommends applicants to the board for final approval, received 7,000 applications for licenses last fall from businesses seeking to open dispensaries, grow cannabis and manufacture products. But regulators have awarded just 109 so far this year. The agency has just 32 people assigned to evaluate the applications.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Jeanette Moy Organizations: New, Cannabis Control Board, General Services, of Cannabis Management Locations: New York

☆ Grown in Oklahoma, Smoked in New York: Illicit Marijuana’s Legal Roots
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the dead of night last April, state drug agents in Oklahoma intercepted an 18-wheeler rumbling east toward the Arkansas border smuggling 7,000 pounds of marijuana hidden in security camera boxes. The weed was from licensed farms in Oklahoma, according to the State Bureau of Narcotics. But the driver was heading to New York, where his cargo could fetch millions of dollars among legacy street dealers and new, rogue dispensaries that make up the illicit market, officials said. New York, like other states, has legalized marijuana but has been very slow to allow licensed retail outlets to open and licensed producers to expand. As a result, many states with a surplus of legal weed, like Oklahoma, have found a lucrative market for their products on the streets and in unlicensed dispensaries in New York.

Organizations: State Bureau of Narcotics Locations: Oklahoma, Arkansas, New York

☆ N.Y. Cannabis Board Settles Suits, Paving Way for Dispensaries to Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A state judge in Ulster County froze the interim program in August after four service-disabled veterans sued, claiming that they were illegally excluded from applying. They borrowed the argument from a lawsuit filed in March by a coalition of opponents that included four of the state’s medical cannabis companies. The settlement would end both lawsuits. Going forward, 436 retail license holders caught up in the litigation would be able to open shops and begin making deliveries, including 23 dispensaries that were ready to open before the stoppage. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in both lawsuits did not immediately comment on the settlement.

Persons: Jorge Vasquez, Vasquez Segarra Locations: Ulster County

☆ How 1.2 Million Marijuana Arrests Will Shape New York’s Legal Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For young Black men like Justin Sullivan, growing up in Harlem in the 2000s came with regular harassment from the police, making it risky to use marijuana. But when he started making white friends who also smoked weed, he learned that they were not under the same scrutiny. “That’s when I started seeing how I was vilified for cannabis,” Mr. Sullivan, now 34, said in an interview. Now, state cannabis regulators have created an interactive map from 1.2 million marijuana arrests conducted across the state over the last four decades as a guide to which neighborhoods qualify. Harlem, once a hotbed of drug arrests, is pinpointed in the mapping tool as a leading candidate for redress.

Persons: Justin Sullivan, “, Mr, Sullivan Locations: Harlem, New York

☆ Bentley in Border Bridge Crash Was a Luxury Car Packed With Power
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ashley Southall | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The car that exploded this week at a border bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y., was a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur, the authorities said on Friday, an ultraluxury model capable of reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour in four seconds. The police identified Kurt P. Villani as the driver and his wife, Monica Villani, as a passenger. The base model Flying Spur was powered by an eight-cylinder engine generating 542 horsepower and weighed 5,137 pounds, according to specifications from Edmunds, which provides data about automobiles for consumers. The vehicle was shown on video moving toward the bridge at a shocking speed before striking a median and taking flight. It burst into flames on impact and shattered, strewing metal over a wide debris field.

Persons: Kurt P, Villani, Monica Villani Organizations: Bentley Locations: Niagara Falls, N.Y, Grand, New York, Toronto, Edmunds

Police investigators in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Thursday were untangling the mystery behind why a Bentley crashed and burned at a bridge at the U.S.-Canada border, killing a local couple and causing panic on both sides on one of the year’s busiest travel days. Among the possibilities that investigators were considering on Thursday was whether the car, an older model, experienced a mechanical failure that caused it to accelerate, according to Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls. The victims were a man and his wife from Grand Island, N.Y., both in their 50s, who owned several businesses in western New York, according to Mr. Restaino. He declined to release their names because the family had not been officially notified. Mr. Restaino said the couple had originally been headed to a concert in Canada, and investigators believe it was a Kiss show that was called off after a member’s illness.

Persons: Bentley, Robert Restaino, Restaino Organizations: U.S . Locations: Niagara Falls, N.Y, U.S, Canada, Grand Island, New York

Two people died Wednesday in the crash after hitting a median at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge in New York as they sped toward Canada, but Gov. The car flew over an eight-foot fence before it burst into a cloud of flames and oily smoke, she said. Video shows a scene that looks like it was “generated by A.I.,” Ms. Hochul said. The only piece of the car left was the engine, she said, and pieces of the vehicle were scattered for yards near an inspection station. “There was a horrific incident, a crash, an explosion, loss of life,” she said.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, ” Ms, Hochul, ” Organizations: Canadian, Niagara Locations: States, Niagara, New York, Canada

☆ Man Exonerated in Malcolm X’s Murder Sues U.S. Over His Conviction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former member of the Nation of Islam who was exonerated in the assassination of Malcolm X filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday in a case that could shed new light on the F.B.I.’s role in one of the most notorious murders of the civil rights era. The lawsuit brought by the man, Muhammad A. Aziz, who spent more than 20 years in prison and was cleared of the murder in 2021, accuses the F.B.I. of hiding evidence that suggested he played no role in the 1965 death of Malcolm X, a leading figure in the historic social movement to empower disenfranchised Black Americans. Mr. Aziz’s suit, which names at least 19 bureau officials and seeks $40 million in damages, claims top officials, including J. Edgar Hoover, engaged in a “pattern and practice” of “causing miscarriages of justice.” Mr. Hoover, who is known to have ordered the surveillance and harassment of leaders of the civil rights movement, led the bureau for nearly half a century until his death in 1972. A companion lawsuit was filed on behalf of the estate of Khalil Islam, who was also convicted of the crime and died in 2009, more than a decade before his exoneration.

Persons: Malcolm X, Muhammad A, Aziz, Aziz’s, J, Edgar Hoover, ” Mr, Hoover, Khalil Islam Organizations: Black Locations: Islam

☆ What’s Holding Up the Rollout of Legal Marijuana in New York?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Since New York State legalized marijuana two and a half years ago, its effort to set up the industry has been a slow and bumpy ride. By now, there were supposed to be more than 150 licensed dispensaries in the state selling products like edibles, smokable flower and vapes to everyone 21 and above. The latest setback for the expansion of the retail program occurred this month when a state court order temporarily barred regulators from awarding and processing licenses for new stores. Even stores that were just waiting for the final green light to open have now been prevented from doing so. Here’s why a state judge put the rollout on hold, and what it could mean for the future of the industry.

Organizations: New Locations: New York State

☆ Cannabis Vendors in Limbo as Judge Halts N.Y. License Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just 23 retailers have opened storefronts or delivery services since the first licensed shop opened in December, and only about 18,000 pounds of cannabis have been sold so far, according to the Office of Cannabis Management. At the current sales rate, 564,000 pounds of legally grown cannabis will remain unsold by the end of the year, agency officials said. Some licensees and lawyers have laid some of the blame on Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is responsible for defending the cannabis program against lawsuits. At the hearing last week, her lawyer struggled to answer basic questions about the program from Justice Bryant, such as distancing requirements between dispensaries. Then, an investor agreed in June to put up $150 million to revive the state’s dispensary plan under terms that have not been disclosed.

Persons: Beau Allulli Jr, ”, Letitia James, Justice Bryant, Kathy Hochul’s Organizations: Cannabis Management, Justice Locations: Lower Manhattan

☆ A Former Weed Dealer Built the ‘Budega’ Brand. Then Copycats Moved In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the fall of 2021, an acquaintance of Alex Norman, the founder of a cannabis apparel and lifestyle brand called Budega NYC, reached out to congratulate him on making a deal to open several dispensaries in Southern California. There was just one problem, Mr. Norman said: “It wasn’t me.”Instead, an international conglomerate had claimed the Budega name, which Mr. Norman, 50, said was a nod to the longstanding role of New York’s neighborhood bodegas in supplying weed before legalization. It was the first of a series of copycats that have forced Mr. Norman, who lives in Brooklyn, to decide whether to wage costly legal battles to defend his brand, work out deals to coexist or start over with a new name. Cases like his have played out across the country as states legalize cannabis and allow businesses to open stores and release products under similar-sounding names. Jessica Gonzalez, a cannabis and trademark attorney, said the trend will only accelerate if the federal government legalizes cannabis and companies begin competing for national dominance.

Persons: Alex Norman, Norman, Jessica Gonzalez Organizations: Industry Locations: Southern California, York’s, Brooklyn

☆ Roadblocks and Red Tape: New York’s Cannabis Effort at a Crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When New York State began laying the groundwork for its recreational cannabis industry last year, officials cast atoning for the harm done by the war on drugs as a cornerstone of the ambitious plan — and promised to give people who were previously convicted of marijuana offenses the first opportunity to sell it legally. Today, that effort appears to be foundering: Although Gov. Kathy Hochul suggested last fall that more than 100 dispensaries would be operating by this summer, just 12 have opened since regulators issued the first licenses in November. In a letter to regulators and the governor’s office last month, a coalition of dozens of the prospective dispensary operators described being blocked by the state from selecting their own storefront locations. The prospective sellers said that they appreciated how the state’s tight control over the program was meant to benefit them but added that, more often, it was holding them back.

Persons: Kathy Hochul Organizations: New York State, The Times

☆ Harlem Businesses Sue to Stop Cannabis Dispensary Planned for 125th Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A prominent Harlem business group filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to stop the state from building a recreational cannabis dispensary on the neighborhood’s main street, adding to the challenges faced by New York State in its rollout of the recreational marijuana industry. The lawsuit may signal trouble for efforts to open stores in some communities that lawmakers intended to benefit the most from legalization, and it underscores the sentiment expressed by some that they have been left out of the planning process. The suit, filed by the 125th Street Business District Management Association in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, seeks to cancel the state’s lease on a storefront at 248 West 125th Street, across from the Apollo Theatre, in the first case challenging the secretive process regulators use to choose dispensary locations. “This is a naked, intentional and bold attempt to avoid community opposition,” the lawsuit said. While the association said it does not oppose having a dispensary on 125th Street or elsewhere in Harlem, the complaint said the current location is “irredeemable” because it would add to the crime, congestion and open drug use already plaguing the area.

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