![]() Yet, two years later, New York’s cannabis program looks nothing like the one envisioned, and victims of cannabis prohibition are in danger of becoming victims of a failed legal cannabis program.īut hope is not lost. Thousands of New Yorkers like me were promised the opportunity of redemption in what should be a highly profitable, legal market. While the state has recently taken steps to address the illicit market, unregulated dispensaries continue to operate, putting consumers unnecessarily at risk. Meanwhile, social-equity cannabis entrepreneurs who are operational are struggling to compete with the booming illicit market. I also co-founded the New York CAURD Coalition, an organization that works to support and provide resources to CAURD applicants and license holders.ĭue to the state’s incredibly slow roll-out of the adult-use market, CAURD licensees are having trouble accessing the capital, locations, and resources they need to open their doors. Albany must act quickly to pass S.7045 - the Cannabis Adult-Use Transition Act - to address challenges in the legal market before it collapses altogether.īased on my successful business history and my past cannabis conviction, I applied for a Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary license as a minority-run business. Two years later, the state has failed to realize the MRTA’s promises, and justice-involved licensees like me are teetering on the edge of crisis. The MRTA established a blueprint for making New York a national leader in social equity, prioritizing benefits and participation for individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. We were incredibly excited by the 2021 Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA), which promised to give people with stories and records like mine a change to reap the rewards of the emerging legal adult-use market. ![]() After a lot of hard work, we have grown our start-up enterprise into a nationwide operation that services hundreds of retail stores across the country. In 2014, I launched an indoor cannabis growing equipment wholesaler and supplier with my husband and business partner. Instead, I turned to entrepreneurship, which - ironically - led me to the legal cannabis market. As a result, a lot of professional doors were closed to me. Months later, I was convicted and had a criminal record. ![]() David Robinson, I was just 17 years old, the trajectory of my life was significantly altered when I was pulled over not far from my family’s home by a local police officer who searched my vehicle.īy the night’s end, I had been charged with drug possession. ![]()
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