Representatives from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management are hosting a community conversation Monday in Bed-Stuy spread the word on the up-and-coming cannabis industry.

A New York state policy has been rolled out by lawmakers, requiring New Yorkers who were previously convicted of marijuana related offenses to be awarded the very first batch of licenses to sell cannabis legally. 

The conversation will help explain what people are entitled to and the different pathways into the cannabis industry.

On March 31, 2021, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act was passed legalizing marijuana across New York.

“The bill allows for small businesses to really be empowered and that's what we're trying to drag in right now. Small businesses, people that want to get into the industry, cultivators, distributors, people that want to do branding,” said Deputy Director of Outreach and Campaigns, NYS Office of Cannabis Management Jason Salmon. “This is a brand-new economy and a brand-new revenue stream for the state of New York so we are trying to focus on people that have been disenfranchised by the criminalization of cannabis.”

Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary, also known as “CARD,” are the first dispensaries that will be opening in New York.