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State OCM approves 38 new adult-use licenses

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5 months ago

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The New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) held its December meeting to approve new adult cannabis licenses, market share and social equity updates, and highlight ongoing investments in community reinvestment, education and public health initiatives.

The meeting included remarks from Susan Filburn, Acting Executive Director of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), who outlined the agency’s focus on stability, accountability and effective governance as the market enters its next phase of development. Overall, December’s CCB meeting reflected continued growth, oversight and long-term market health, reinforcing New York’s commitment to a safe, fair and fully regulated cannabis industry.

At the meeting, the CCB approved 38 new adult licenses, bringing the total number of adult licenses issued across the state to 2,063. Of the licenses approved in December, 44 percent were granted to Social and Economic Equity (SEE) applicants, emphasizing that as the market matures the State continues to have an equitable share. The newly approved licenses include two Adult Use cultivation licenses, four adult distributor licenses, five adult microbusiness licenses, 13 adult processor licenses, 10 adult retail dispensary licenses and the latest four adult conditional retail store licenses.

“Over the past year, the Office of Cannabis Management has made significant progress in establishing a market for cannabis,” Filburn said. “This progress has been driven by our commitment to support this emerging industry. We remain committed to protecting public health and safety, advancing a legal marketplace driven by equity, and supporting a stable industry that contributes to New York’s economy.”

“We remain focused on continued progress and responsible regulation,” said Jessica García, president of the Cannabis Control Commission. “This month’s approvals reflect the Board’s commitment to fairness, compliance and long-term market stability. Every decision we make is guided by our responsibilities to protect consumers, support licensees and serve communities throughout New York State.”

OCM also provided an update on the transition to the New York statewide seed sales tracking system being implemented in partnership with Metrc. To help reduce implementation costs, Metrc provides 20 million unique retail item identifiers at no cost to licensed processors. OCM also adjusted key deadlines, requiring Metrc certification by December 17 and extending the deadline for vendors to access existing inventory to January 12, 2026. Once fully implemented, the system is expected to improve product transparency, strengthen supply chain oversight, and protect consumer safety. OCM will continue to provide training and technical support to licensees. Additional information about New York’s seed-to-sale system is available at cannabis.ny.gov/seed-to-sale.

New York’s regulated cannabis market continues to show steady consumer demand, with retail sales increasing month over month. OCM expects the state to close 2025 with about $1.65 billion in legal cannabis sales. The week of November 23-29 was the largest sales week on record, driven in part by a strong Green Wednesday, which generated approximately $2.2 million in increased sales. This represented a 24.5 percent increase in sales and a 56.1 percent increase in units sold compared to Green Wednesday 2024. Overall sales for the week were up 7.1 percent compared to the previous week.

As competition continues to spread throughout the supply chain, prices have fallen across all product categories. At the same time, sales per store have remained stable, indicating that licensed retailers continue to capture consumer demand despite price pressure.

Equity continues to be a distinguishing feature of market growth. Of the 38 adult-use licenses approved in December, 18 were issued to SEE applicants, 44 percent of the month’s approvals. Across the adult-use market, 57 percent of all licenses issued statewide are held by SEE companies, including minorities, women, service-disabled veterans, disproportionately impacted communities and distressed farmers.

SEE representation remains strong across the supply chain, with 38 percent of growers, 46 percent of processors, 39 percent of distributors, 58 percent of micro-enterprises and 85 percent of retail dispensaries.

To date, there are 545 legal dispensaries open for business throughout the Empire State. A complete list of licensed and operational adult-use cannabis dealers in New York is available at the link here.

Source: New York State Office of Cannabis Management

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EU regulators say Charlotte’s Web hemp CBD safety “cannot be established”

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10 hours ago

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May 12, 2026

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The growing tension between international scientific findings and US health policy has raised questions about whether Medicare beneficiaries are being exposed to cannabinoid products whose safety profiles have not been fully established.

In March 2026, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out a formal scientific evaluation of a shipment of Charlotte’s Web hemp product, concluding that the safety of a carbon dioxide extract derived from Cannabis sativa L. “cannot be established”. The agency identified several gaps in the available data, including significant portions of the product remaining uncharacterized, a lack of reliable toxicological studies on the actual material, a lack of human clinical data, and an unknown allergenicity and long-term safety profile.

At the same time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive (BEI) program. The initiative allows participating healthcare providers to discuss and supply certain hemp and marijuana-derived cannabinoid products to Medicare beneficiaries under the authority of the Center for Innovation, and does not require approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. That distinction is at issue in a pending federal case: Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), et al. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. et al., Case 1:26-cv-01081 (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia).

Under the FDA’s standard framework, products intended for therapeutic use typically undergo controlled clinical trials, dose standardization, safety and toxicology evaluation, and manufacturing and stability validation. The BEI program operates outside of this structure. Some observers point out that this could introduce products into federally funded care settings before those benchmarks are met, while proponents of the program characterize it as a legitimate model of innovation.

Medicare beneficiaries represent a medically complex population, with many patients managing multiple medications, chronic conditions, and increased susceptibility to drug interactions. Cannabinoid compounds, including THC, interact with metabolic pathways such as CYP450 enzymes, which process many common medications. The safety profile of these products in this population has not been fully characterized through controlled studies.

Following the launch of the program, several companies publicly announced their positioning within the emerging healthcare supply chain. Charlotte’s Web highlighted alignment with CMS drivers and Cornbread Hemp announced institutional distribution through a national group buying organization, reflecting broader commercialization activity in the category.

SAM v. In Kennedy, the court is evaluating whether CMS overstepped its statutory authority by introducing avenues for the supply of cannabinoids without formal regulations, public notice and comment, or FDA validation standards. A resolution will determine whether the program is scaled back, modified, or stopped pending further review as implemented.

The EFSA’s conclusion does not ban the marketing of CBD products, but indicates that the scientific evidence necessary to fully establish their safety remains incomplete. The political debate reflects a broader question in health care regulation: how to balance the pace of innovation for therapeutic products with the standards of evidence typically required in federally funded systems of care.

Source: MMJ International Holdings

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Trump’s Medical Marijuana Move Focused On Helping Ailing Seniors, But Lack Of Coordination Could Cause Backlash (Op-Ed)

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10 hours ago

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May 12, 2026

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“The rush to provide medical marijuana to the elderly will require substantial legal, scientific, and commercial infrastructure, which in an ideal world would avoid repeating historical mistakes with clarity and coordination.”

By Emily Dufton

Everyone knows that the last month was historic for cannabis. There are big changes coming with the rescheduling of medical marijuana and federal Medicare coverage of hemp.

But what many have misunderstood is why.

For the first time in 56 years, a type of marijuana has finally escaped Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Cannabis was placed there in 1970, and despite previous attempts at legalization – including 40 states that legalized medical access and 24 states that legalized recreational use – for more than half a century, cannabis continued to be defined as a substance with no approved medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Until last month, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche moved medical marijuana to Schedule III, a drug category with some medical uses approved and “moderate-low” addiction potential.

This review includes four cannabis products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in all 40 states and Washington DC. These products are now Schedule III, which means that dispensary owners don’t have a heavy tax burden like 280E.

Medical marijuana became a much more legitimate industry.

But what makes this change even more historic is who it is intended to benefit: the elderly.

Previous legalization movements all focused on young adults. The decriminalization movement of the 1970s painted cannabis as an “adult right” for a mature baby boomer. Activists in the 1980s and 90s argued that medical marijuana was needed for young people struggling with HIV/AIDS. And in the 2010s and 2020s, social justice movements promoted legalization as a means to end the mass incarceration of Black youth.

Recriminalization movements have been equally concerned with pot’s impact on children. Reagan’s zero-tolerance, “Just Say No” drug war of the 1980s was launched explicitly to save children. And the intoxicating hemp products accidentally legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill are slated to be made illegal again this November, after opponents warned they sent too many children to emergency rooms.

But the Trump administration’s support for medical marijuana reform is based on something new: the concern of 18 percent of Americans over 65 — nearly 1 in 6 — a number expected to rise to nearly a quarter of the population by 2050.

A new industry is emerging to service this demographic. Howard Kessler, of the Commonwealth Project, is one of the biggest proponents of medical marijuana use for seniors.

A Project video (reposted by Trump on Truth Social last September) he seemed to be addressing the president directly. “You can revolutionize healthcare for the elderly,” begins the narrator, before listing cannabis’ positive effects on pain, stress and sleep. The video ends with the promise: “You will deliver the most important senior health initiative of the century, strengthening your legacy and transforming aging care. Millions everywhere will thank you.”

As a drug historian, I did not see this coming. The historic overhaul of medical marijuana is being hailed as a victory for the elderly, a demographic that was almost never included in the conversation.

For years, prohibitionists argued that today’s cannabis products are too strong, a far cry from the tamer, weaker weed of yesteryear. But with these new products aimed at seniors, this really is your grandma’s marijuana. The baby boomers who fought for decriminalization in the 1970s are getting it, in 2026, with federal funding from Dr. Mehmet Oz’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Focusing on the health and well-being of the elderly, Kessler’s campaign successfully overturned decades of drug policy concerns about children, and this shift will have major implications for both legalization and recriminalization campaigns. The “save the kids” attitude that changed the law before may not work when marijuana users are older.

But a backlash could arise just as quickly if unregulated “medical” products start harming grandma.

Therefore, as a historian, I am concerned that this project has been rapidly expanded with vocal support but little coordination. There is a significant lack of clarity on how this transformation will work.

Given that Schedule I marijuana has been around for half a century, the science behind medical cannabis is still a work in progress. It’s also not entirely clear who is responsible, as multiple entities are involved in the change, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FDA, the Department of Justice, and the Internal Revenue Service, as well as legislative, regulatory, and law enforcement agencies at the state and local levels.

And so far no one has addressed the impact it has had on hemp/marijuana distribution. Lack of coordination doomed previous legalization campaigns, and could harm reprogramming if it unfolds in a chaotic fashion.

At the moment, the outlook does not look promising. Dr. Gillian Schauer, executive director of the Cannabis Regulatory Association, told NPR, “We’re implementing policy that’s far from where the science is… It’s like flying an airplane blind when we’re building it without parts.”

Last month’s rescheduling was historic, but it’s also incomplete. The rush to provide medical marijuana to the elderly will require extensive legal, scientific and commercial infrastructure, which in an ideal world would avoid repeating historical mistakes by providing clarity and coordination.

It may not happen yet, but it’s what grandma deserves.

Emily Dufton is the author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America and Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and America’s Forgotten War on Drugs.

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Kambis expands cultivation infrastructure as Thai medical cannabis facility eyes international markets

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1 day ago

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May 11, 2026

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A certified medical cannabis facility in Thailand is adding a specialized mother room and an advanced drying room as part of its capacity expansion aimed at international supply.

KAMBIS Community Enterprise Innovative Farming announced through construction LinkedIndescribing the two rooms as nearing completion and central to the roadmap for scaling up production. The company sees investment as a prerequisite for consistent production in export markets, not just for increased volume.

The expansion is accompanied by an ongoing fulfillment push. KAMBIS has been working to prepare GACP and EU GMP, a combination that reflects the standard required to supply the regulated medical markets in Europe and elsewhere. The company noted that medical expertise has been embedded in its leadership since the beginning, and it says it has kept clinical requirements at the center of cultivation decisions as the operation has grown.

The addition of the mother’s room is particularly notable in the context of the international offer. The mother-room infrastructure allows the facility to maintain genetic consistency across production cycles, which is a prerequisite for the kind of batch-to-batch reproducibility required by EU GMP frameworks. Drying room capacity, on the other hand, is often the bottleneck that limits how many post-harvest flowers a grow site can fill without compromising quality metrics.

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