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Submission: On May 30 via api from US — Scanned from DE
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PBS * Shows * Explore * TV Schedules * Shop * Donate Full Episode Wednesday, May 29 Close Menu PBS NewsHour * Episodes * Podcasts * Newsletters * The Latest * Politics * Brooks and Capehart * Politics Monday * Supreme Court * Arts * CANVAS * Poetry * Now Read This * Nation * Supreme Court * Race Matters * Essays * Brief But Spectacular * World * Agents for Change * Economy * Making Sen$e * Paul Solman * Science * The Leading Edge * ScienceScope * Basic Research * Innovation and Invention * Health * Long-Term Care * Education * Teachers' Lounge * Student Reporting Labs * For Teachers * Newshour Classroom * NewsHour Shop * About * Feedback * Funders * Support * Jobs Close Menu EDUCATE YOUR INBOX Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Email Address Subscribe Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Close Popup PBS NewsHour Menu Notifications GET NEWS ALERTS FROM PBS NEWSHOUR TURN ON DESKTOP NOTIFICATIONS? Yes Not now * Full Episodes * Podcasts * Newsletters * Live By — Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share * Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/new-yorks-legal-marijuana-program-plagued-by-inexperienced-leaders-report-finds * Email * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter NEW YORK’S LEGAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM PLAGUED BY INEXPERIENCED LEADERS, REPORT FINDS Politics May 10, 2024 4:59 PM EDT ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s legal cannabis market has been hampered by inexperienced leaders who treated the state licensing agency like a “mission-driven” startup rather than a government office, according to an internal review released Friday. The report detailed several problems at the state Office of Cannabis Management, including constantly shifting licensing rules, poor transparency and an absence of enforcement mechanisms, all of which have stalled the legal market and allowed illicit storefronts to flourish. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has called the state’s program a “disaster,” ordered the comprehensive review in March, hoping to address the cascade of bureaucratic stumbles and legal challenges that have plagued the agency. “There are deep-seeded issues at OCM, issues that have limited its ability to fulfil its licensing role,” Hochul, a Democrat, said at a news conference Friday. The governor announced the agency’s leader, Chris Alexander, would depart his post in the fall and that officials would begin a series of reforms to correct problems in the state cannabis office. The state legalized marijuana sales with social equity in mind, reserving the first round of retail licenses to nonprofits and people with prior marijuana convictions, an effort to mend damage done by the war on drugs. But the process was soon beset by lawsuits, a slow rollout and other hurdles. In one case, a judge temporarily blocked parts of the program for months after finding state regulators wrote licensing rules that did not adhere to the law legalizing marijuana. The state has had a little more than 120 legal cannabis dispensaries open since sales began in late 2022, while thousands of black market shops have cropped up. The problem is particularly pronounced in New York City, where unlicensed retailers have operated with impunity, often from glittering storefronts on seemingly every block. Lawmakers this year strengthened local officials ability to shut down illicit shops, a move to correct a bureaucratic roadblock, and at one point, Hochul pressed Google and Yelp to stop listing illegal stores online. The report determined the agency struggled to balance its social equity framework with the humdrum administrative duties of a government agency primarily tasked with licensing. “Since its inception, OCM has operated as a mission-driven policy start-up, but has struggled with the transition to a mature regulatory entity,” the report reads. The review found that most of the agency’s senior leadership had little experience leading regulatory entities and changed licensing processes so frequently that an estimated 90% of applications required corrections because would-be retailers couldn’t keep up with the rules. In one instance, the agency wasted significant time trying to create a unique mapping program when similar software exists within state government and was offered to the agency. The report details a series of policy fixes to address the agency’s problems, such as hiring more staff to process licenses, streamlining the application process and hosting public “listening sessions” to identify issues, among other things. “One of the great successes of this task force is the ability to point to the problems, which I think we all knew at some level that things were not working the way that they needed to,” said Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the state’s Office of General Services tasked with leading the review. “Everyone wants OCM to be successful. We want it for their staff, we want it for the leadership and we want it for the New Yorkers who want to see this industry thrive.” Left: FILE PHOTO: Marijuana plants for the adult recreational market are seen inside a greenhouse at Hepworth Farms in Milton, New York, U.S., July 15, 2022. Photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters RELATED * As the U.S. moves to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous, could more states legalize it? By David A. Lieb, Associated Press * Biden’s historic marijuana shift is his latest election year move for young voters By Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press * What reclassifying marijuana means for Americans By Jennifer Peltz, Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press GO DEEPER * marijuana * new york * weed By — Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Support Provided By: Learn more EDUCATE YOUR INBOX Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Email Address Subscribe Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Full Episode Wednesday, May 29 * * * * * * * TRENDING NOW 1. Read May 30 WATCH LIVE: Harris delivers commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation 2. Watch May 26 Wastewater from Tyson meat processing plants is polluting U.S. waterways, report says 3. Read May 29 Guilty or not guilty, Trump verdict won’t sway most voters, poll shows 4. Read May 30 Supreme Court unanimously revives the NRA’s free speech lawsuit against ex-New York official 5. Watch May 29 How open primaries and ranked-choice voting can help break partisan gridlock THE LATEST Politics May 30 California advances measures targeting AI discrimination and sexually abusive deepfakes By Trân Nguyễn, Associated Press Health May 30 Michigan reports another person working with cows got bird flu, the third U.S. case this year By Mike Stobbe, JoNel Aleccia, Associated Press World May 30 Xi pledges more Gaza aid at Chinese summit with Arab leaders By Simina Mistreanu, Emily Wang Fujiyama, Associated Press World May 30 North Korea sends balloons carrying trash and manure over South Korea By Hyung-Jin Kim, Kim Tong-Hyung, Associated Press World May 30 Mexico to choose between two women in presidential election amid violence and polarization By Mark Stevenson, María Verza, Associated Press World May 30 What you need to know about the broken U.S.-built pier in Gaza, and what might be next By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Politics May 30 Boeing faces FAA deadline for plan to address aircraft safety and quality problems By David Koenig, Associated Press Politics May 30 Deliberations in Trump hush money trial set to resume after judge rereads jury instructions By Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Michelle L. Price, Associated Press 1. 2. PBS NewsHour © 1996 - 2024 NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved. Sections * The Latest * Politics * Arts * Nation * World * Economy * Science * Health * Education About * About Us * TV Schedule * Press * Feedback * Funders * Support * Newsletters * Podcasts * Jobs * Privacy Stay Connected * Facebook * Twitter * YouTube * RSS Subscribe to ‘Here's the Deal,’ our politics newsletter Email Address Subscribe Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Support for NewsHour Provided By * * * * * *