The New York State Office of Cannabis Management released reports highlighting their work over the past year.
The annual report goes into detail about licensing processing, social and economic equity efforts, and how they continue to prioritize public health and safety. The report also showed the revenue in the marijuana market in New York.
In the report, data showed that over 5,250 licenses, permits and registrations have been issued or provisionally approved for cultivation, processing, distribution, micro-business and retail sales.
To help streamline the licensing process, the Office of Cannabis Management implemented a single point of contact licensing review model in October 2024. The model helped eliminate the previous multi-team system so that applicants have an examiner to guide them through the process from start to finish.
The report also showed that 54.1% of adult use licenses were granted to businesses with social and economic capital.
The Office of Cannabis Management makes social and economic equity central to their efforts. The office works to repair decades of overcriminalization and disproportionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition.
Their work is led by New York’s Social and Economic Equity Plan, which is a team that ensures the new cannabis market is fair and equitable.
The Task Force targeted the illegal cannabis market in NY
The report went into detail about how access to care for cannabis patients continues to grow. According to the New York State Medical Cannabis Program, the number of registered health care providers increased from nearly 3,900 in 2022 to 4,454 in 2024.
When it comes to public health and safety, the Office of Cannabis Management continues to make it a priority by ensuring their team is monitoring emerging trends such as underage consumption, traffic safety, and prevention of accidental exposure and overdose of cannabis.
In May 2024, the Office of Cannabis Management implemented new emergency regulations, such as The Cannabis Enforcement Task Force was launched to combat the illegal cannabis market.
With the help of these regulations, the data showed that 1300 enforcement inspections were carried out and 450 businesses were locked.
The weed business brought in $80 million for NYS last year
When it comes to revenue, the report showed cannabis tax, application fee and penalty revenue totaled $80.2 million for the 2023-2024 state fiscal year. The Medical Cannabis Program generated over $10.7 million, the Hemp Cannabinoid Program generated nearly $1.1 million and the Adult Use Cannabis Program generated over $68 million.
Jamel Young, executive vice president and co-owner of Good Life Collective, acknowledged that he was aware of the report and talked about how their cannabis store has been performing since opening in Rochester in April 2024. “Business is going well for us; we “I’m starting to see the marketing really kick in,” Young said. “We’re not stagnant, but we’re still trying to find different ways to reinvent ourselves to provide the best for our community.”
Good Life Collective offers a variety of cannabis products that customers can purchase for recreational use, medical use, or whatever their needs may be. Customers must have valid ID showing they are over 21 to enter the store.
Young also mentioned that he is very big on providing a safe environment for the community, providing extra security and safety overnight. “There is no point in this building that you can enter without access,” Young said. “We’re still going above and beyond to make sure we’re safe, not only for our customers, but for our staff and everyone who comes in.”
For more information on the annual report visit https://cannabis.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2024/12/ocm-annual-report-2024.pdf.
– Kerria Weaver works as a Government and Youth reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, focusing on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and Monroe County. Contact at kweaver@gannett.com.
