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New York Officials Celebrate 500th Marijuana Dispensary Opening, With $2.3 Billion In Sales Since Market Launch

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8 months ago

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New York’s marijuana regulators are celebrating the opening of the state’s 500th legal cannabis dispensary, citing $2.3 billion in adult sales since the market opened, supporting about 25,000 jobs across the industry.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, Green Comfort Dispensary became the 500th adult-use marijuana licensee to open its doors in the state since its launch in late 2022.

Felicia AB Reid, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), said in a press release that “the growing number of licensed dispensaries reflects a market that is maturing with a purpose.”

“Every new business represents economic growth, community investment and safer access for consumers,” he said. “Together, New York’s legal cannabis market, industry innovation and consumer demand show no signs of slowing down,” they state.




Beyond the 500 store milestone, OCM also highlighted other industry growth statistics, including the approval of 1,949 adult cannabis businesses across all license types. Today there are dispensaries in 51 regions and 161 municipalities throughout the state.

“Each licensed store represents an operator, proven products and a community that chooses safer cannabis,” said Jessica Garcia, president of the Cannabis Control Board (CCB). “Reaching 500 shows the momentum of the industry and our focus on equity, compliance and consumer protection.”

Of the nearly 2,000 adult-use licenses issued so far, OCM said 56 percent have gone to social equity businesses that have been disproportionately affected by the ban.

With tax revenue from marijuana sales and license fees, $5 million has been invested in community reinvestment initiatives, another $5 million has gone toward a grant program for conditional business licenses for eligible applicants, and $2.6 million has contributed to technical assistance for those seeking to enter the market.

“Equity has been the bedrock of this market since the beginning,” said Simone Washington, Chief Equity Officer at OCM. “Achieving this milestone reinforces that progress is possible when equity is built and embedded in the system. Our focus remains that equity is not just a paper principle, but a measurable outcome at every level of the industry.”

Tim Tanavung, CEO of Green Comfort Dispensary, said “it is truly an honor to be recognized as NYS’s 500th licensed historic dispensary.”


Green Comfort Dispensary - New York's 500th licensed adult cannabis dispensary

“It is truly a labor of love and passion from myself, David and the entire staff at Green Comfort,” he said. “We are excited to promote a vessel that we can give back to the community, the city of Rochester and the state. We are optimistic for the future of Green Comfort and NYS cannabis.”

As for marijuana sales in the Empire State, regulators announced in September that the state had It officially surpassed $2 billion in adult cannabis purchases.

Meanwhile, given the confusion in the market about temporary license terms, the CCB said it will extend the renewal period for adult conditional use to December 31, 2026.

“This extension provides more time for licensees to secure viable locations and obtain full licensure,” OCM said. “It will also apply to temporary licenses issued between September 9, 2025 and December 30, 2025, ensuring clarity and consistency for all temporary licensees.”

Part of the uncertainty surrounding provisional licensees a the recently identified zoning issue affects more than 100 cannabis businesses Those located too close to public schools or places of worship than permitted by applicable statute. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said she will push the legislature to change the state’s marijuana law to address the problem.

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Meanwhile, both chambers of New York’s legislature passed the legislation earlier this year extend the deadline for electronic tax returns for marijuana companiessending the proposal near the governor’s desk.

If signed into law, the measure would give cannabis manufacturers and distributors an extra 30 days to file their tax returns after the end of each quarterly tax year. Currently, companies have 20 days to submit documents, and the legislation would extend it to 50 days.

Sponsors of the bill noted that Hochul vetoed the cannabis business tax reform proposal late last year, saying it would lead to “significant operational challenges for the state and confusion for taxpayers,” but that they have worked to address those concerns in the current version.

The earlier measure would have been vetoed It allowed marijuana growers and processors to pay excise taxes annually rather than quarterly—A change that would extend the same treatment that the state already offers to the alcohol industry.

In July, New York officials announced First round of grants for $5 million program to support retail marijuana businesses for justice-involved people cover start-up costs.

About three months after opening applications Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) Grant ProgramOCM and Empire State Development (ESD) announced Wednesday that 52 licensed dispensaries have been awarded up to $30,000 each for start-up and operating costs such as rent, renovations, inventory tracking and security systems.

To enter the program, applicants must be “justice-involved,” meaning a marijuana-related conviction, and experience running a profitable business.

Meanwhile, OCM recently launched a new online map to help adults find licensed marijuana shops—one of the latest efforts to encourage consumers to buy their cannabis on the regulated market.

After a surprising expansion of the state’s legalization law opened the door to a proliferation of illegal marijuana shops, governors and regulators have made it a priority to educate citizens about the need to buy their products from licensed dispensaries as a health and safety imperative.

The broader New York campaign also involved digital advertising and educational resources, including a guide to safe consumption practices, as well as graphics and videos from licensed cannabis business owners and messages about the benefits of participating in the regulated market.

OCM also advises that “enforcement against the illegal market is critical to building a regulated health market,” pointing to what it describes as a successful enforcement effort in 2024. Last spring, for example, New York City officials launched Operation Padlock, an enforcement initiative aimed at shutting down illegal storefronts.. Within a few months, sales at licensed stores that were open before the start of operations rose 105 percent, according to an OCM survey.

Regulators are also moving forward new regulations proposed around the state’s “cannabis showcase” programwhich allows licensed businesses to sell to consumers at farmers market-like events.

As originally authorized, the showcase events were largely a response to the slow expansion of New York’s adult marijuana program. There have been numerous delays in implementation between lawsuits and other issues.

Separately, Hochul signed state budget legislation it did not include a previously controversial provision that would have allowed police to use the smell of marijuana as probable cause that a driver is impaired and then forced to take a drug test.

Legislative amendments removed the provision, which had a coalition of 60 reform groups He argued that Hochul-i and senior lawmakers would “repeat some of the worst damage of the war on drugs.” and allow law enforcement to “restart unconstitutional racial profiling of drivers.”

In April, New York cannabis regulators and labor officials has announced the launch of a staff training program The state’s marijuana industry is legally required to “provide comprehensive safety training to employees.”

Additionally, the press secretary of the OCM stated that the office is working on plans to expand permit and license regulations. adults can buy and use marijuana in movie theaters. Allowing the sale of cannabis products in theaters would set New York apart as the state continues to build legalization legislation.

At the beginning of the year, a collective Companies licensed under the CAURD program asked Hochul to forgive tens of millions of dollars in high-cost loans. issued under a social equity loan fund created by the governor.

A member of the state legislature In December, he said that there is a need to extend the subsidies to CAURD graduatesmany of them are struggling under high cost loans.

Critics — the NAACP New York State Conference, Black Cannabis Industry Association, Minority Cannabis Business Association, Service Disabled Veterans in Cannabis Association, Drug Policy Alliance, NYC NORML and VOCAL-NY — wrote to the governor earlier that month. to express dismay at what they described as marijuana regulators’ “efforts to serve big corporations at the expense of small business and equity results.”

Photo by Mike Latimer.

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Saxony-Anhalt state government backs hemp innovation center in Mücheln

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16 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the development of a hemp information and competence center in Müchelnen (Geiseltal). The joint project known as IKHE – “Information and Competence Center for Hemp with Experience Trails” – is being carried out by the city of Mücheln (Geiseltal), the University of Applied Sciences Merseburg and the German Hemp Academy (Deutsche Hanf-Akademie eV).

The project has been given approximately 3.8 million euros as part of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, fully financed by the European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF).

The funding announcement was presented in Mücheln (Geiseltal) on July 7, 2026 by Gert Zender, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt.

© New Bauhauslers

Hemp is a versatile plant and one of the oldest crops cultivated by humans. For centuries, it was used to produce textiles, paper, and building and construction materials, before being largely displaced by fossil-based raw materials. Today, the renewed use of hemp opens up new possibilities for the ecologically and economically efficient production of building materials and fiber products. Grown in rotation with other crops, hemp improves soil quality, requires no crop protection products and requires little water.

Hanffaser Geiseltal eG a hemp industry processing cooperative is already active in the region. While Hanffaser Geiseltal processes the raw material, the IKHE partners are working to establish the information and competence center as a center for knowledge transfer, education and testing. Together, these efforts are turning Mücheln (Geiseltal) into a location with experience covering the entire hemp value chain.

At the heart of IKHE is an experimental building workshop where new bio-based building materials made from hemp are developed, tested and demonstrated in experimental building projects. This is complemented by a self-help building workshop, where both professionals and the public can learn how to work with hemp-based building materials through combined theoretical and practical seminars, and receive hands-on guidance for their building projects. Experiential trails will also allow visitors to explore where and how hemp can be used, in a hands-on way, from construction and textiles to food and cosmetics.

© New Bauhauslers

A bottom-up participatory approach is central to the project. From the very beginning, local residents, associations, schools and regional initiatives have been actively involved in the development and implementation of the project through open workshops and practical activities. In this way, the project combines formal scientific and technical knowledge with the practical expertise of craftsmanship and regional traditions, reflecting the values ​​of the new European Bauhaus of being beautiful, sustainable and inclusive.

IKHE is an Applied NEB Project and will be in operation until 2028. It is supported by the NEB Network Office Saxony-Anhalt, acting on behalf of the State Chancellery and the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Culture.

Source: The new Bauhauslers

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Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Wraps Up, With DEA Judge Laying Out Next Steps

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16 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing The Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal concluded, and the agency judge overseeing the proceeding set a deadline for the parties involved to file post-hearing briefs before the next recommendation on reform.

The multi-day hearing, which began late last month, ended Wednesday after presentations from a handful of states opposing federal cannabis reform.

DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius issued an order Thursday, saying that because “no closing time was granted” during the court days, participants in the process will be able to file post-trial documents, which are due Aug. 17.

Those documents can be up to 50 pages long and can include “closing arguments and arguments on any other matter raised by the court at the hearing.”

“This is a non-mandatory submission, so a named party will not be penalized for failing to file a post-hearing brief, and the absence of a submission means that there was no submission,” Julius wrote.

His order also states that participants can submit corrections to the daily transcripts of the proceedings by August 17.

“The amendments submitted by the designated parties are only proposed amendments. This panel will also examine the transcript for possible errors and indicate where amendments are needed,” wrote the judge. “The list created by the court will be compared with the list submitted by the Named Parties to create a list of final corrections. Thereafter, this court will issue an order approving the list of final corrections and include those corrections in the official copy of the transcript.”

“A fully redacted copy of the transcript of these proceedings will be made publicly available on the Agency’s website,” Julius said.

The judge said in his closing statement at the end of Wednesday’s hearing that he will work on writing his recommendation after receiving the next briefs on whether the government should move forward with broad marijuana rescheduling, but stressed that the final decision would rest with the DEA administrator.

Julius did not specify an anticipated timeline for the administrator’s recommendation of action.

At the hearing, DEA officials were tasked with defending the proposed cannabis reorganization featured testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

Meanwhile, attorneys and witnesses for the parties opposing marijuana redistricting who attended the hearing focused on the alleged harms of cannabis use, as well as criticism of the recently approved changes. an analysis used to determine whether or not drugs have approved medical value.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling followers that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they are not “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

Participating opposition parties include Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, DUID Victim Voices, Kenneth Finn, Phillip A. Drum, and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska.

Before the hearing began last month, marijuana reform activists rallied They held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel of the process – that supporters of the reform were not invited to participate and that the proceedings were not broadcast live, despite the officials’ vow of “transparency”.

Marihuana Moments sent petitions to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius and DEA Administrator Cole asking for them reverse the decision to ban the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via live stream. A Congressmen and other journalists later joined that request.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

A separate order was signed by the acting attorney general hearing marijuana III.

Preliminary hearing process on the marijuana redistricting process initiated by the Biden administration It was halted last year amid allegations of improper communications and witness selection.

the current The marijuana redistricting process is being challenged in several ways which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those pieces of State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

Meanwhile, the reorganization of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having a major impact.

The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current rescheduling of cannabis Certified patients with medical marijuana from state licensed dispensaries are now eligible for Class III. “The order appears to allow end users to use marijuana medically without a CSA prescription,” he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a Draft update to a gun purchase form to recognize the legal status of medical marijuana in the reprogramming. The revised section of the question states that only the “recreational use or possession of marijuana” is federally prohibited, omitting the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis.

The US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issued new tax guidelines for the marijuana industry after reprogramming. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions that are currently prohibited under IRS Code Section III, known as Section 280E.

Even the DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and accused the Biden administration of stalling the initiative in the reorganization process, has done so. It launched a registration process for legal marijuana businesses in the state to take advantage of the federal benefits that come with the reform.

The Department of Transport, on the other hand, issued guidelines stating this use Legal medical cannabis in the state is still no excuse for truck drivers to test positive for drugspilots and other safety-sensitive personnel.

The The War Department released a memo making it clear that military service members were using marijuana and civilian employees of the department remain prohibited, even in the federal rescheduling of cannabis.

A congressional committee recently Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabishowever lawmakers from both parties told Marihuana Moment they don’t think that provision will be enacted become law

Read the DEA’s post-trial hearing the order below:

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Photo Report: Cultivate 2026

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2 days ago

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July 16, 2026

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New varieties, commercial trends, packaging solutions, greenhouse developments, microbiological products, crop protection – there was a lot to see, learn, do and discover at Cultivate 2026, and we’ll be sure to share it all with you in the coming days. But first, it’s picture time (and nap time).

See the supplier photo report Cultivate 2026 here.

Find photo coverage of gardening companies on our sister site FloralDaily.

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.com

Pipp / GGS, the Berger team, the VidaWool team and Beneficial Insectary Cultivate are all at 2026.










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