“Get Ready, Get Set,” Office of Cannabis Management to host Plattsburgh workshop to help equity-entrepreneurs apply for first retail cannabis licenses

(PLATTSBURGH, NY - September 19, 2022) - On September 22, the Office of Cannabis Management plans to host a “Get Ready, Get Set” workshop in Plattsburgh to help eligible New Yorkers prepare applications for Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) Licenses to sell cannabis in New York. The CAURD licenses are one of the cornerstones of the Seeding Opportunity Initiative, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in March, which ensures the first adult-use cannabis is grown by New York farmers and sold by individuals directly impacted by the overcriminalization of cannabis prohibition. 

Plattsburgh Event

Thursday, September 22 at 6 p.m.

130 Arizona Ave., Plattsburgh, NY 12903

On August 25, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced that New York State had begun accepting applications for the first adult-use cannabis retail dispensary licenses. The license, called the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license, is a key pillar of the New York State Seeding Opportunity Initiative. Through the Initiative, New York’s first legal adult-use retail dispensaries will be operated by those most impacted by the enforcement of the prohibition of cannabis, and those first sales will be made with products grown by New York farmers.

Applicants will be able to access the application portal for a CAURD license on New York State Business Express. The Office of Cannabis Management has published an interactive resource page to help. The application window will close on September 26, 2022.   

The Seeding Opportunity Initiative, announced by Governor Hochul March 10, 2022, positions equity-entrepreneurs to be the first to make adult-use cannabis sales in New York with products grown by New York farmers. Under the Initiative, these initial equity-entrepreneur retail owners must meet two prongs of eligibility to qualify. First, they must have a cannabis-related conviction that occurred prior to the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act (MRTA) on March 31, 2021, or had a parent, guardian, child, spouse, or dependent with a pre-MRTA cannabis-related conviction in the State of New York. Second, they must also have experience owning and operating a successful business in the State of New York.  Empowering local farms is essential to growing an equitable cannabis industry that starts with New Yorkers.   

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