A recent interpretation of school-distance rules by state regulators threatens 89 cannabis dispensaries in New York City with relocation or closure. The Office of Cannabis Management modified the buffer measurement from a dispensary's entrance to the nearest edge of a school's property line, impacting many currently operational shops. In Manhattan, 40 dispensaries are at risk, and the change may lead to substantial financial losses for business owners. Although a $15 million relief fund was established, it does not fully address the uncertainties faced by the affected businesses.
Coss Marte, founder of Lower East Side dispensary ConBud, says the news could cost him everything. He's locked into a $40,000 per month lease and fears losing both his shop and his license. "I just feel like I was heading toward generational wealth and now I'm heading toward generational debt."
A total of 89 licensed cannabis dispensaries across the five boroughs were told this week they may need to pack up and find new homes, due to their proximity to schools.
The recent policy correction changed the measurement from a shop's door to a school's door, to measuring from the dispensary's entrance to the nearest edge of a school's property line.
OCM says it will work with lawmakers to fix the law—but not until the legislature returns in January. In the meantime, impacted licensees face expiring permits and no clear guarantees.
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