BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Consuming marijuana in New York has been legal for nearly a year, but there is no where to legally purchase the plant.
Thursday night, the heads of the state’s New York State Cannabis Board said she understands what question is on the mind of plenty of New Yorkers.
“Everyone wants to know when will there be adult sales in New York State? We are working very hard to activate the MRTA (Marijuana Recreational Tax Act) and while we want to get the market up running as quickly as possible, it’s critical we take the time to get it right,” said Tremaine Wright the Chair of the Cannabis Control Board of New York.
White was speaking at one of the Office of Cannabis Management’s community outreach meetings.
The OCM released data regarding cities and towns opting out of allowing cannabis stores or lounges to open in their communities. Of all New York cities, towns and villages, 34% opted out. Most of who did opt out were communities with smaller populations. The total population of those municipalities in the 34% consist of around 118,000 people. That’s less than half a percent of all New Yorkers.
The next big step from the OCM is regulations.
The state will unveil those in the late winter or early spring. Once those are announced, there will be a 60-day period for public comments to be heard.
The earliest any business could apply for a license to sell marijuana would be after that 60-day window.
The OCM says it is actively training more police officers to be DREs or Drug Recognition Experts. They added they are continuously searching for a device that could be used to detect if someone is under the influence of marijuana.
When can you legally buy marijuana in New York? It will not be any time this winter or spring.
