Some NY Companies Still Seeking Dispensary Locations

With a January deadline looming for New York’s medical marijuana market to get up and running, some companies that won licenses are still scrambling to nail down locations for all their dispensaries.

To date, five of the 20 dispensary locations allowed by the state have not been finalized, according to Politico New York.

Politico also found that local community representatives across New York expect a good deal of resistance from residents who may favor legal MMJ but aren’t supportive of having a dispensary in their neighborhood, which is further complicating efforts by companies to find suitable locations.

In one municipality, local officials said they hadn’t heard of a licensee’s intention to open a dispensary there until Politico called for comment. In other towns, there are ongoing zoning issues for proposed dispensaries that may not be resolved until well past January.

And one company slated to open a dispensary in Yonkers reportedly hasn’t yet even identified a single workable location.

It’s unclear what will happen if some of the 20 dispensaries are unable to open by the legal deadline. The state could theoretically revoke MMJ business permits, but many in New York doubt it will come to that.