NEW YORK (PIX11) — On Monday, New York State’s Cannabis Review Board approved a settlement in a lawsuit that has halted new, legal cannabis dispensaries from opening.
In August, a state Supreme Court judge issued an injunction because the suit halted many businesses.
Since then, dispensary owners have been living in limbo, unsure when to open, but they are still stuck paying rent and payroll. Growers have also been struggling with excess products and insufficient retailers to sell them to.
Leafy NYC in Chelsea was finalizing its full license when the injunction was implemented. Unable to open, the front of the business is being used to host the Leafy NYC Cannabis Growers Showcase. It opens to the public on Tuesday.
The state allows dispensaries stuck in limbo to partner with a legal licensee and open temporarily. This helps dispensaries cover costs, retailers expand their reach, and growers bring products to market.
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“This gives us a chance for us to spread them [growers] around New York State and to give them exposure in markets that they weren’t in, and that’s such a beneficial thing,” said Matt