Chris Alexander

As yet another Benzinga cannabis event is approaching this month, where top CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs will share their valuable business insights, let’s scroll through the latest industry appointments. Join the Benzinga Cannabis Market Spotlight in New Jersey on June 17th! Grow your...

In what started out as a basic 911 burglary call early Saturday morning in Brooklyn led to the discovery of millions of dollars-worth of illegal cannabis products stored in a huge unmarked warehouse. The New York City police department (NYPD) and the City Sheriff’s Office were quickly on the...

Since a scathing report about the woeful inadequacies of New York's legal cannabis program hit the airwaves Friday, which included a shakeup within the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), Governor Kathy Hochul (D) announced a complete overhaul of the agency responsible for the repeatedly botched...

An internal review released Friday revealed significant challenges, to put it nicely, plaguing New York’s legal cannabis market. The issues are primarily attributed to inexperienced leadership within the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The report was blunt, calling the OCM...

Governor Kathy Hochul (D) ordered a review of the state’s cannabis licensing process, nearly two months after saying she was fed up with the slow rollout of the marijuana market. Hochul asked officials to find a solution to the inefficient cannabis licensing scheme amid a growing number of...

New York’s legal cannabis market surpassed $150 million in sales during its inaugural year, reports the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The market’s successful launch follows the approval of only 40 retail dispensaries from over 6,900 applicants, indicating a stringent vetting...

The legal standoff that has prevented cannabis dispensaries across New York State from getting their licenses to operate was resolved late Friday when the NY Supreme Court lifted an injunction preventing the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) from processing Conditional Adult Use...

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the biggest leap forward for New York's legal cannabis market. With an array of licenses up for grabs, individuals and businesses can now participate in the legal production, processing, distribution and sale of cannabis. As of Oct. 4, the application period...

New York regulators doubled the number of available retail permits for recreational marijuana social equity applicants to 300, which will be proportional across the state’s 14 regions. “Doubling the number of available CAURD licenses is a great development that drastically increases the...

Legal weed shops are notably behind schedule in New York, but delivery services could start as early as next week and they're expecting to do some brisk holiday business. Following last week’s announcement by the Office of Cannabis Management that it had...

Medical cannabis operators in New York are worried about having to pay an exorbitant fee in order to go recreational. According to the New York Times, in order to sell marijuana outside of a medical program, multi-state operators (MSOs) must pay a fee of $20 million. Winning bidders of the state...

The NY Office of Cannabis Management announced it will begin accepting applications for Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses starting on August 25, 2022. The application window will close on September 26, 2022. “This announcement brings us to the precipice of legal,...

The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) reported that marijuana regulators in the city have put more than 50 unlicensed marijuana retailers on notice, accused of illegally selling cannabis. Additionally, OCM said that unlicensed marijuana businesses are claiming to be legal cannabis...

Good News In New York: First Meeting Of NY Cannabis Advisory Board and First Legal Marijuana Harvest On June 30, the New York Cannabis Advisory Board, which will decide how the state spends tax revenue from the marijuana industry, held its inaugural meeting. Addressed by Chris Alexander, the...

The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) sent a letter recently to TikTok executives asking the company “to end its ban on advertising that involves the word 'cannabis' as they work to promote public education in the state’s move to legalize,"...