Farmers across the state have grown a sufficient amount of cannabis to stock New York’s first dispensaries with homegrown flower before they open by year’s end, Office of Cannabis Management officials said Friday.
The state’s first supply of legally grown cannabis is almost ready for harvest as President Joe Biden asks for a review of how marijuana is viewed under federal drug laws.
“We know now, having toured the state, that the crop will be ready, that it will be high-quality, that it will be sun-grown,” Office of Cannabis Management Executive Director Chris Alexander said Friday. “And before the end of the year, we’ll have some of our dispensaries open.”
Office of Cannabis Management and Cannabis Control Board members would not give further details about when the state’s first dispensaries will open, and where or when the office will announce an updated timeline. But they reiterated the first adult-use marijuana sales will happen before 2023. Gov. Kathy Hochul this week also said the timeline remains on track, with about 20 dispensaries coming online per month after the initial launch.
The state Dormitory Authority continues to visit locations and negotiate with landlords about potential retail space, Alexander said.
“We can’t be more