New York’s legal weed program plagued by inexperienced leaders, report finds

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.

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