BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Kathy Hochul says she’s fed up with the state’s Cannabis Control Board. She says changes need to be made to the cannabis licensing process soon.
“I’m very fed up with how long it is taking to get these approvals,” Gov. Hochul said.
There have been several delays, and challenges, as well as confusion. Gov. Hochul said she called out the board saying more licenses need to be granted and that she is disappointed with the current pace .
“No, I’m not satisfied with the pace. Part of the problem is, larger conglomerates that didn’t like the system that was set up that I inherited, they didn’t like the metrics that were being used there and they wanted to stop it. They successfully stopped the program for nine months, so that’s also a large part of why there’s been a delay,” Gov. Hochul explained while at UB last week.
Several lawsuits have been filed against the Office of Cannabis Management , which stopped it from giving out new licenses for months last year, which the governor was critical of.