There’s no smoke without bureaucracy.
A state-run Web site for a new Office of Cannabis Management was launched Friday following the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York.
The Web site is meant to educate the public “on the OCM’s regulatory structure which, with the Cannabis Control Board, will oversee the licensure, cultivation, production, distribution, sale and taxation of medical, adult-use and cannabinoid hemp within New York State,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said.
The site also provides resources for individuals seeking medical cannabis practitioners and medical cannabis IDs as well as businesses seeking licensure to participate in the adult-use, medical and cannabinoid hemp industries even though legal marijuana cannot be sold by licensed dispensaries until at least next year.
“Legalizing cannabis was the first step in this historic endeavor to right the wrongs of the past,” Cuomo said in a statement Friday.
“The Office of Cannabis Management’s website provides critical preliminary information pending the creation of the Cannabis Control Board about the future of this industry as well as resources for individuals and businesses seeking information on the future of cannabis in New York State,” said Cuomo.
The governor added, “The website outlines the comprehensive reforms this legislation enacts, and I know will be a valued resource for many as we move forward.”
Cuomo on Wednesday signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana in New York, making it the 15th state to do so.
The move came after the state Legislature green-lit the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act after hours of debate a day earlier.
Under the law, New Yorkers can legally possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis outside the home, up to 5 pounds at home — and can smoke pot in public wherever smoking tobacco is permitted.
The weed bill established the creation of the Office of Cannabis Management to implement a regulatory framework that covers medical, adult-use and cannabinoid hemp.
