New York State is offering the first 150 licenses for the legal sale of weed to people — and their loved ones — who have a criminal record for trafficking or selling drugs.
The policy, implemented by Democratic leaders in the state, seeks to compensate African-American and Hispanic communities whose members were disproportionately arrested and convicted during the days when weed was illegal.
The state legalized recreational weed for residents ages 21 and older in March 2021. Anyone previously convicted of marijuana possession was also eligible for a new conviction under the new law.
Legal marijuana sales are estimated to result in $1.3 billion in sales and create up to 24,000 additional jobs in the state.
Meanwhile, the Big Apple is cracking down on illegal marijuana sales. Mayor Eric Adams announced last week that 600 pounds of weed — worth about $4 million — had been confiscated in the past two weeks.
New York is offering previously convicted cannabis dealers and sellers the first business license rights to legally sell the drug after it becomes legal in 2021. Pictured: Visitors to a legal cannabis store in the Bronx, New York, December 9, 2022
Democratic leaders argued that African-American and Hispanic communities should be compensated after decades or “disproportionate” arrests. Visitors learned how to apply for a legal cannabis license at an event in the Bronx on Dec. 9, 2022.
Naiomy Guerrero’s brother was frequently arrested by the police and was once convicted of drug trafficking when marijuana was illegal in New York.
Today he is starting a legal cannabis business, a promising new market full of pitfalls.
“It’s such an exciting time for my family,” said Guerrero, 31, an art history doctoral student whose parents are from the Dominican Republic.
“Especially considering where we’re from and everything we’ve been through, with the discriminatory policies the city has had, like stop and search,” he told AFP.
In addition to the cannabis conviction, applicants must also have a viable business to be eligible for one of the first 150 licenses, which will precede full market opening.
Last month, Guerrero was one of the first 28 shortlisted applicants to receive a license to open an official shop and sell locally grown cannabis.
Another New Yorker looking to profit is Jeremy Rivera. He was convicted of a “non-violent drug offense including cannabis” in 2016. He was released from prison in 2018 and vowed never to return.
The 36-year-old wants to put his cannabis knowledge and business savvy to good use by opening a weed shop east of Long Island City.
Jeremy Rivera spent several years in prison for cannabis offenses and wants to sell cannabis legally through New York State’s new program
The state legalized marijuana last year for anyone who turned 21 in 2021 and made those convicted of possession of weed eligible for a new sentence. Pictured: A protester at the Cannabis Parade in New York City in May 2021
In 2018, a state report estimated that there had been 800,000 arrests for marijuana possession in the past 20 years. In 2017, the majority of those arrested were black, 48%, while Hispanics made up 38% of the arrests.
“Prohibition has deprived people of opportunities, it has caused disinvestment in communities, it has destroyed families,” said Tremaine Wright, chairman of the board of control for the New York Office of Cannabis Management.
Guerrero said that in the 2000s, the New York City Police Department’s notorious stop-and-frisk policy, which disproportionately targeted people of color, meant “we couldn’t be outside without being stopped by the police.”
“He was just living in a constant, constant state of surveillance and harassment,” she recalled.
While the cannabis program is ambitious, experts say implementation will have its challenges.
“We are still at the beginning of our journey towards social equity. We need education, we need funding,” said Desmon Lewis, co-founder of the Bronx Community Foundation, which helps applicants.
Tremaine Wright, chairman of the Board of Control at the New York Office of Cannabis Management, said “the ban has deprived people of opportunities”
Last week, local news NY Cannabis Insider reported that the team tasked with raising $150 million from private investors for the state’s $200 million fund to support retailers had missed a deadline set by the state.
This raises concerns that applicants will not receive the ready-to-wear shops they were promised.
“For some people it is very confusing. They rely on this place and these funds. Now it feels like the sand is moving under their feet,” said Eli Northrup of the nonprofit Bronx Defenders.
Also of concern is the stiff competition from unlicensed sellers, who have been emboldened by decriminalization.
They have taken advantage of the lack of controls since legalization, selling on the streets, in parks, as well as in smokehouses that already sell THC-infused edibles, pre-rolls and flowers.
But Rivera sees only opportunities.
“You will also have people who have never felt comfortable buying from the illicit market and now want to buy from a reputable authorized supplier,” he said.
“It’s the beginning of the next 100 years of cannabis sales,” he added, puffing on a long spliff.
Law enforcement cracks down on illegal weed sales
Over the past two weeks, more than 600 pounds of illegal marijuana — worth about $4 million — have been collected by New York City law enforcement, according to the NY Daily News.
Last week Mayor Eric Adams announced a citywide crackdown on illegal weed sales.
Along with the weed confiscation, 500 civil citations and 66 criminal citations were issued to the drug dealers.
Adams said the illegal weed wrap was “alarming” because it appealed to children due to its shiny wrap and chewy texture.
“We will not allow the economic opportunities afforded by legal cannabis to be exploited by unlicensed establishments,” Adams said. “It is time for unlicensed shops to stop selling illegal products and comply with the law. »
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