A restraining order in a new lawsuit has barred any additional licensed cannabis dispensaries from opening in the state until a hearing Friday, and could keep any more from opening until the lawsuit is resolved.
A state Supreme Court judge hearing the case also temporarily halted the Office of Cannabis Management from issuing any new dispensary licenses.
The injunction is part of a civil suit filed by service-disabled veterans, who argue that allowing “justice-involved individuals” to have the first recreational dispensary licenses is unconstitutional.
The lawsuit is the second that has led to a temporary pause in the state’s rollout of legal cannabis stores, through a program that gives preference to applicants who were adversely affected by the state’s laws banning marijuana.
Licensing previously recently been on hold in Western New York when the plaintiff in another lawsuit, Variscite One, argued that barring licenses for justice-involved individuals from other states was unconstitutional.
In April, Western New York was excluded from the lawsuit and conditional licenses were awarded in the region. That lawsuit was later settled, with OCM officials saying would grant Varisicite One a license as soon as non-conditional licensing opens.
Two conditional dispensaries have opened in Western New York, Dank on Main Street and Herbal IQ in Depew. The ruling does not affect them.
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