After New York cannabis regulators greenlit six of the state’s medical cannabis companies to expand into adult-use retail last week, local cultivators are viewing their entry with a mix of trepidation at increased competition and eagerness for possible opportunities.
In CCB’s draft regulations, New York’s 11 medical cannabis companies (Registered Organizations) would have had to wait until 2025 to open adult-use retail shops, but the final regulations allowed them to expand into adult-use starting Dec. 29, 2023, worrying some farmers about impending competition.
Since before a single legal New York dispensary opened its doors, local growers holding Adult-Use Conditional Cultivator (AUCC) licenses have worried over these large vertically integrated businesses competing with their smaller, less established companies.
But as this reality is coming to fruition faster than most expected, some cultivators see lucrative partnership opportunities alongside increased competitive pressures.
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