The legal cannabis industry in New York reached a pivotal moment this month after the Supreme Court of New York granted a preliminary injunction that shields more than 150 licensed dispensaries from sudden disruption. The ruling blocks new directives issued by the state's Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) that threatened to shutter or relocate compliant, tax-paying businesses across the state.
A state Supreme Court judge in Albany on Thursday granted a preliminary injunction blocking New York's cannabis regulators from enforcing a stricter interpretation of how dispensaries must measure their distance from schools a move that, cannabis entrepreneurs had argued, threatened to wipe out their businesses and undermine the state's equity goals. The order, signed by Judge Keri Savona, requires the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to revert to its previous standard of measuring from a school's entrance,
Mainstream media outlets are recycling tired narratives about cannabis, and this time, it's aimed squarely at high-THC weed. The headlines practically write themselves: Pete Davidson Says Weed Gave Him Psychosis or Lil Nas X Hospitalized After Smoking Potent Weed. The implication is obvious-weed is dangerous, high-THC weed is terrifying, and maybe it should be regulated even more than it already is.
The state's troubled Office of Cannabis Management said it ordered more than 100 pot shops to shut down or relocate after it misinterpreted a law saying how far away from schools they must be.
The latest move to restrict cannabis use comes amid wider political turmoil in Thailand. Last week the Bhumjaithai Party withdrew from the government's ruling coalition due to its mishandling of a border conflict with Cambodia.
