Office of Cannabis Management lays out 2024 plans

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--- The Office of Cannabis Management has four main goals for this year-- get the supply chain functioning as well as it can, distribute more licenses, open stores, and close the illegal ones.

Cracking down on illegal pot sales is a priority for Governor Hochul as well.

"We will empower localities to go after the unlicensed shops, prosecute businesses that sell to minors, and padlock their doors faster," said Hochul during her State of the State address on Tuesday.

Chris Alexander, OCM’s Executive Director, said over $60 million dollars in street value product has been seized.

"We’ve tried to use everything that we could— done the education, we’ve taken the product repeatedly, and now we are trying to get a more streamlined way to get the padlocking done and get those stores closed," explained Alexander.

He discussed the role of local law enforcement.

"The local law-enforcement could still enforce the penal law and county district attorneys have the ability to prosecute those laws. However, the regulatory authority exists with the state, and so what we’re trying to design is a method for localities not to force the cannabis law, but to enforce their own local laws related to unlicensed activity in the cannabis space."

During Friday’s OCM meeting, a vote was held approving two Registered Organizations, known as ROs or medical marijuana organizations, to transition into the adult-use market.

"We only have 40 processors across the state and the ROs who have been operating in the state do have significant processing capabilities, so they will be able to participate and of course open a dispensary."

The state currently has about 47 legal retailers.