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New Lawsuit Challenges Licensing and Fee Schedule Advantages For Women and Minorities; Claims White Men Denied Equal Protection
January 25, 2024 – A lawsuit filed yesterday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York challenges the advantages given to women and minority applicants in retail licensing by the Office of Cannabis Management. The plaintiff, Valencia AG, LLC, based in Jamesville, NY is owned by “males of light pigmentation who might best be described as Caucasian or white men,” according to the complaint. Valencia filed an application with OCM on October 12, 2023 seeking a microbusiness cannabis license. Not falling into any of the categories for SEE status, Valencia was unable to request any sort of priority status in its application.
Believing that priority would be given to applicants that attested they either owned or rented space that was immediately ready to open, and relying