New York cannabis shops facing potential relocation or closure because they’re too close to schools reached a temporary agreement with state regulators this week, allowing them to stay open for at least the next five months.
The temporary reprieve comes after retailers filed a lawsuit challenging a newly expanded buffer zone between marijuana retailers and schools, threatening some existing businesses, according to the New York Times.
As part of the agreement, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management will postpone enforcing the revised buffer zone policy until Feb. 15.
The agreement was detailed in a legal filing submitted Wednesday by the state attorney general’s office in State Supreme Court in Albany.
Over 150 dispensaries faced potential closure unless the Legislature created an exception to allow them to remain operational.
The affected owners are predominately people of color who were prioritized for dispensary licenses because of past punishments under New York’s former anti-marijuana laws.
Newly enforced school buffer zones for New York cannabis
State law prohibits cannabis shop from operating within 500 feet of schools.
Previously, the OCM measured the distance from a marijuana store’s entrance to a school’s entrance.
However, in July, under new leadership, the agency said the method was incorrect and that the measurement must be taken from property lines.
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