The New York Supreme Court has officially lifted an injunction that’s barred state cannabis regulators from processing hundreds of new retailer licenses, clearing the path to significantly expand the state’s cannabis market.
The court action comes days after the New York Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved settlement agreements in two lawsuits that have enjoined regulators from moving ahead with licensing since August.
“This decision brings much-needed relief to the hundreds of provisional licensees who, until now, have had their businesses sidelined,” CCB Chair Tremaine Wright said in a press release on Friday. “We remain dedicated to upholding a fair and transparent process as we continue to grow and support New York’s cannabis industry.”
One of the lawsuits that have been resolved under the approved settlement—Carmine Fiore et al. v. New York State Cannabis Control Board—was filed by a group of military veterans who argued that the state’s licensing prioritization of social equity applicants who were most impacted by criminalization unconstitutionally omitted disabled veterans from the eligibility pool.
Read more at marijuanamoment.net