On April 14, 2025, a cannabis retailer filed suit to challenge the provision of New York’s cannabis law that requires licensed businesses to maintain labor peace agreements with their workers. The New York lawsuit asserts...more
In a boon to the cannabis industry, the federal government is reclassifying cannabis and easing federal restrictions on the drug, according to news reports. The Drug Enforcement Administration will approve a recommendation...more
After months of anticipation, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management began accepting applications for five (5) types of licenses this week: cultivator, processor, distributor, and microbusiness. This is generally...more
The Cannabis Regulatory Agency’s (CRA) Social Equity Program arises from a provision of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA) designed to promote and encourage participation in the cannabis industry by...more
A group of four military veterans filed a lawsuit two weeks ago in New York State Supreme Court against the New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (“OCM”), claiming that the agency’s rules that prioritize applicants with...more
A group of four military veterans last week filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against the New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (“OCM”), claiming that the agency’s rules that prioritize applicants with prior...more
It’s been two years since the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act legalized marijuana in New York State on March 31, 2021 and prohibited employers from drug testing for marijuana (for tests that are not federally-mandated)....more
Call it a conundrum: the passing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (“MRTA”) allowed New Yorkers 21 years or older to use recreational marijuana legally but provided no legal way to purchase it. The result was...more
Background On August 25, 2022, after weeks of promotion by the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the application window has finally opened for adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses in the Empire State. ...more
With the anticipation of federal marijuana legalization, the cannabis industry rang in 2021 with sky-high equity values and anticipated social justice reforms seemingly imminent. However, differing ideas regarding how to...more
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management hosted a “Get Ready, Get Set,” workshop to provide community members with vital information about the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) and the conditional adult use...more
On April 14, 2022, the Cannabis Control Board approved 52 adult-use conditional cultivation licenses, which means the approved businesses can start growing cannabis for the upcoming adult-use market. Licensees can start...more
On February 22, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law that will award conditional adult-use licenses to qualifying cultivators and processors who were licensed under New York’s Cannabinoid Hemp Program prior to...more
If you’re a New Yorker or a person who has visited New York recently, you’ve probably seen or heard of stores selling a product or service to consumers and providing cannabis as a “gift” in return. Others – banking on lack of...more
The State of New York is expanding its cannabis program to include its adult-use, and Mississippi recently enacted a new law that provides for a medical cannabis program. The State of New York Is Expanding its Cannabis...more
The deadline for municipalities in New York State to choose whether they will allow retail sales of adult use cannabis is rapidly approaching. To date, approximately 25% of the state’s towns, and 30% of villages, have enacted...more
On October 8, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYDOL”) issued new guidance, largely in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (the “Guidance”), reflecting employment protections provided to cannabis users under...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The New York Department of Labor published “Frequently Asked Questions” which address occupational cannabis issues under the adult-use cannabis and the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA)....more
Following the legalization of recreational cannabis in New York by the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) earlier this year, which we previously reported on, the New York State Department of Labor has issued...more
When New York passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) in March 2021, the state’s employers were immediately prohibited from discriminating against workers based on the legal use or possession of marijuana...more
New York employers have been anxiously awaiting additional information about how the legalization of recreational marijuana will impact the workplace – and they finally have some. The state’s Office of Cannabis Management...more
Earlier this month, the New York State Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued guidance entitled “Adult Use Cannabis and the Workplace” (the “Guidance”) in connection with the recently-enacted Marijuana Regulation and Taxation...more
The New York State Department of Labor (“NYDOL”) has issued FAQ guidance addressing common questions regarding recreational cannabis use by employees in and outside of the workplace in light of the enactment earlier this year...more
On October 19, 2021, New York State’s Department of Labor (NYSDOL) updated its initial guidance to employers – itself issued only days earlier – concerning the legalized use of cannabis and the workplace. The new guidance...more
On October 8, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) published guidance to employers concerning "Adult Use Cannabis and the Workplace." New York employers with drug screening protocols should review their...more