Two years ago, Ryan Martin had finally opened his adult-use cannabis retail store, MJ Dispensaries, after an arduous time navigating the licensing process and legal challenges. Now he recently opened his fourth MJ location in the village of Geneseo and has plans for three more stores across Monroe County, opening soon.
"It's really been a wild ride, but we're excited for the future," says Martin, who was a "legacy grower"—operating in the underground market before legalization—for over 20 years. "In the beginning, we were really struggling to pay our bills and whatnot, but once we opened, now we're in this marathon where it feels like we're unstoppable."
It has been just over five years since the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act was passed in 2021, legalizing the sale of adult-use cannabis products in New York. The state appears to have found firmer footing after a rocky rollout.
Top leadership at the state regulatory agency, the Office of Cannabis Management, finally has settled a laborious licensing process that has slowly been improving, and interest in adult-use products continues to grow.
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