New cannabis dispensary licenses in New York are expected to remain temporarily on hold for at least another two weeks following a court hearing Friday.
That is because state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant withheld his ruling Friday in a lawsuit that claimed regulators unconstitutionally favored people impacted by past marijuana prohibition enforcement in awarding initial dispensary licenses.
Cannabis: New NY marijuana dispensary licenses halted by judge. Why it happened
Bryant set the next court date for Aug. 25, effectively keeping in place a temporary restraining order he issued Monday that barred state officials from awarding new dispensary licenses. The lawsuit has requested a preliminary injunction against the state, Â which could halt cannabis dispensary licensing during a potentially lengthy legal battle over the constitutionality of the program.
A group of service-disabled veterans filed the lawsuit that asserted, in part, that cannabis regulators violated the state Constitution by exclusively granting licenses to justice-involved business owners during the initial legal marketplace rollout.
Bryant also set a deadline of Tuesday at 5 p.m. for filing revised arguments in the case. He could make a decision based on those filings, but it is more likely the ruling on the injunction would come in two weeks at the Aug. 25 hearing.
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