24 Businesses Approved For Cannabis Retail Licenses in Long Island Region

24 Long Island businesses and individuals were approved for Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses to sell cannabis on July 19.

The approval was announced in a meeting by the New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and the Office of Cannabis Management (CCM). This decision is intended to improve the rate at which retail locations will open across the entire state.

The Long Island businesses were 24 out of 212 new licenses approved on July 19, bringing the state’s total CAURD licenses to 463.

“The provisional approval of today’s 212 CAURD licenses by the Cannabis Control Board marks a momentous leap forward in our pursuit of an inclusive and fair cannabis industry. These licensees are demonstrative of the innovation and diversity of New York State,” Tremaine Wright, Chair of the Cannabis Control Board, said. “We want to thank Governor Hochul for her steadfast support as New York forges ahead in expanding its cannabis market and fulfilling our social equity objectives.”

The licenses are part of Governor Hochul’s Seeding Opportunity Initiative, which she introduced in March 2022. The initiative aims to ensure that adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries will be operated by individuals who were most impacted by the state’s previous, restrictive cannabis laws. To be eligible for a CAURD license, applicants were required to either have had a cannabis conviction, or be related to someone with a cannabis conviction, in addition to having owned a profitable business among other criteria. Nonprofit organizations with a history of serving formerly incarcerated or currently incarcerated individuals were also eligible to apply for a CAURD license.