Curaleaf is entering the New York cannabis market after receiving an approval from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has granted approval to Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (Curaleaf) on December 8, 2023, to sell wholesale adult-use cannabis products In the state of the Big Apple, according to a recent press release (1).
Curaleaf is planning to provide five of their premium flower, vape, and edible products that are a part of their Grassroots and Select brand portfolios (1). This includes “Select Briq Essentials, Select X Bites, Select Nano Bites and Grassroots premium flower,” (1). One of Curaleaf’s wholesale partners, MJ Dispensary, who is a Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries (CAURD) licensee (1), began offering Curaleaf products on December 12, 2023, as an inclusion in their grand opening event in Rochester, New York.
As the company gets further established in the Big Apple state, Curaleaf will develop new products that will be created with “local New York-grown flower, including distillate from New York based hemp farm Open Mind Organics (OMO). Led by David Falkowski, a third-generation farmer who became one of the first licensed hemp farmers in the state,” (1).
“Curaleaf has served New York's medical market with high quality cannabis products and service since 2017, and we are eager to provide that same level of care for the state's adult use customers,” Matt Darin, CEO of Curaleaf, commented (1). “We are pleased that the OCM has taken the next step to allow existing registered operators the opportunity to participate in the adult use market, and we look forward to being among the first as we continue to prioritize our medical patients. We are happy to be working with businesses of all sizes across the state, from hemp farmers to our retail partners, including CAURD licensees, and we aim for statewide distribution by end of year.”
“On our opening day at MJ Dispensary, it's a monumental milestone to be the first licensed New York adult use retail partner to offer our customers access to Select and Grassroots products,” Ryan Martin, CEO of MJ Dispensary, explained (1). “This partnership with Curaleaf is an excellent example of the ways in which the New York market can work together moving forward between large businesses like Curaleaf, and CAURD licensees like MJ Dispensary. Our intention is to support customers with a wide array of products, and we feel we've accomplished that in part due to this partnership.”
Curaleaf is excited to dip their feet into the New York cannabis industry and are inspired to help local communities through their “Rooted in Good” program which work with organizations that handle the challenges caused from the “War on Drugs” (1). The company also is planning to hire, “at least 10% of all new New York hires from populations touched by low-level cannabis-related offenses and hosting retail activations focused on social justice and equity,” reported in the company’s press release (1).
Reference
Ep 24, Part II: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
December 12th 2024Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn, co-founder of MCR Labs, discuss the discrepancies between current regulations and data on mycotoxins and pesticides in cannabis products. They highlight the need for updated regulations based on new data, emphasizing the importance of accurate testing and labeling. They also discuss the issue of result manipulation, particularly in THC content, and the need for public health officials to address this. Yasha suggests making testing data public to enhance oversight and suggests a national entity to manage this data for better consistency and public safety.
Ep 24, Part I: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
November 21st 2024Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.