New York officially approves its first licenses to sell recreational marijuana

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York State Cannabis Control Board has approved the state's first Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CUARD) licenses.

The approvals were announced at a public hearing Monday morning.

The Office of Cannabis Management received over 900 applications for licenses.

In this first round, the board approved 36 provisional licensees, including 28 qualifying individuals and 8 nonprofit CAURD applicants.

At least one CAURD license was granted in each available region of the state.

Monday's announcement came following last-minute controversy over the licensing process.

A total of 150 licenses will eventually be made available, but earlier this month a federal judge issued an injunction temporarily blocking license approval in some parts of the state.

The counties in which the license approvals were being challenged include Brooklyn and Westchester.

One company sued New York and its Office of Cannabis Management in September, claiming it gave preference to in-state residents.

New York legalized recreational use of marijuana in March 2021 but is still in the process of licensing people to sell it.

Under pressure to launch one of the nation's most hotly anticipated legal marijuana markets, the state Cannabis Control Board moved to award some dispensary licenses to entrepreneurs and nonprofit groups.

It's a major step that came as cannabis regulators stress that they're trying to stop unlicensed sellers.