The state of New York will give the first green lights to allow legal retail sales of cannabis to adults before the end of the 2022, with the licences for the first dispensaries to be given to people who have been convicted of marijuana-related offences.
Proposed regulations from governor Kathy Hochul are likely to be adopted by the Cannabis Control Board on Thursday, it was reported.
First marijuana dispensary licences would be limited to applicants who have received cannabis convictions themselves or who "had a parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, or dependent who was convicted".
Focusing on “those who otherwise would have been left behind,” meant New York was in a “position to do something that has not been done before”, Chris Alexander, the executive director of the New York Office of Cannabis Management, told the New York Times.
Governor Hochul has allocated US$200mln this year to support the opening of these first stores.
New York passed a law last March that permitted the possession and recreational use of marijuana in limited amounts by adults.
Alexander said he expected at least 100 licenses to be awarded to people who were convicted of a marijuana-related offense before the drug was legalised.