The governor’s office is projecting that the adult-use cannabis market could reach $4 billion statewide upon maturity and generate up to $350 million annually in tax revenue.
31 to opt out of allowing a dispensary or on-site consumption license for something like a spa that uses cannabis products in their municipality.
The Office of Cannabis Management created under the law will regulate the recreational and existing medical marijuana programs. The office will be overseen by a five-member Cannabis Control Board.
The company is interested in expanding its presence in New York State, but the exact locations are unknown, according to Patrik Jonsson, regional president of the Northeast.
“We believe New York will be one of the top five or three states in the country based on sheer population and tourism.
“We forecast 20,000-30,000 jobs being added as a result in this industry,” he adds, noting this figure does not include support and ancillary services, which can provide additional employment options.
The social and economic equity program built into the new law could help the Park at least partially.
Etain, one of ten medical marijuana growers and processors in New York, has employed 30 people at its growing and production facility for a few years.
Leggett understands, though, why some town officials and park residents are reluctant to embrace hosting a dispensary or on-site consumption site such as a spa.
And yet the need to fill the empty Main Street storefronts plaguing so many Adirondack towns remains a park-wide concern.
A former Colorado resident, Leggett has seen firsthand how dispensaries can be integrated in a town.
Regardless of which park towns decide to allow cannabis facilities, the likely reality is that the park will only get a few dispensaries.
According to one study, an additional 120,000 hotel rooms were rented monthly once tourists in Colorado could purchase marijuana legally.
“These people are motivated by the ability of finding cannabis related activities,” Applegarth says, noting they are luxury travelers, food and wine enthusiasts, and outdoor activities enthusiasts.
Maybe so, but in the meantime McKenna and other officials need more information.
In March, the New York State High Peaks Wilderness Overuse Advisory Group issued final recommendations calling for immediate actions to manage overuse to preserve wilderness and protect public safety in the Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness Area.