Weed King

2121 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Amherst 14215
buffaloweedking.com
Monday through Thursday: 9AM – 10PM
Friday: 9AM – 11PM
Saturday: 10AM – 11PM
Sunday: 10AM – 7PM

  

3478 Walden Avenue, Depew 14043
highcloudzcannabis.com
Monday through Sunday: 10AM – 10PM

  

3565 US-9W, Highland 12528
rosiesbotanicals.com
Monday through Wednesday: 11AM – 8PM
Thursday through Saturday: 11AM – 9PM
Sunday: 11AM – 7PM

  

66 Jane Street, New York 10014
dagmarcannabis.com
Sunday through Wednesday: 10AM – 10PM
Thursday through Saturday: 10AM – 11PM

  

11 Martha Street, Ellicottville 14731
evlfarm.com
Thursday: 12PM – 9PM
Friday & Saturday: 11AM – 9PM
Sunday: 10AM – 4PM

  

1011 W Genesee Street, Syracuse 13204
casabliss315.com
Monday through Thursday: 9AM – 9PM
Friday & Saturday: 9AM – 10PM
Sunday: 10AM – 8PM

                  

  

New York’s legal cannabis market has experienced rapid expansion over the past year, with total sales reaching $155 million in May 2026. This marks a 15.4% year-over-year growth and a 4.3% increase month-over-month, signaling strong and consistent demand. The average item price in New York sits at $29.60, which is among the highest in the country, reflecting both premium positioning and the early-stage nature of the market. While there have been some fluctuations—such as a notable sales spike in December 2025 followed by a correction in January 2026—the overall trend is upward, with sales nearly doubling compared to the same period last year.

  

Despite high prices, unit sales are also climbing, up 29.5% year-over-year in May 2026. This suggests that consumers are not only willing to pay more but are also purchasing in greater quantities. The market’s growth trajectory is outpacing many established states, positioning New York as a key player in the national cannabis landscape.

  

New York’s cannabis market is now among the top five largest in the US, with $155 million in monthly sales. This puts it ahead of mature markets like Oregon ($78M) and Washington ($89M), and just behind Massachusetts ($143M) and Illinois ($130M). However, New York’s average item price of $29.60 is significantly higher than most states, with only New Jersey ($30.40) and Ohio ($30.63) in a similar range. In contrast, Michigan and California have average prices below $20.

  

Growth rates in New York are also outpacing most established markets. The 15.4% year-over-year sales growth in May 2026 is well above the national average, with many mature states experiencing flat or negative growth. For example, California saw a 7.5% YoY decline, and Colorado was nearly flat. Only a few newer markets, such as Ohio (+22.5%) and New Jersey (+1.5%), are seeing positive momentum, but New York’s combination of high growth and high pricing is unique.

Join OCM, New York State Department of Labor, and the Black Cannabis Industry Association Inc. at the Capital Region Cannabis Industry Job Fair to connect with qualified job seekers from across the region, recruit for current and future hiring needs, and build relationships with workforce organizations, educational institutions, and community partners. 

  

The Office of Cannabis Management is hosting an in-person Cannabis Industry Job Fair aimed at connecting job seekers with licensed cannabis businesses across the Capital Region. If you are interested in participating and connecting with potential employees, please fill out the form below. This event is being held on Tuesday, August 11th, 2026, from 10:00am-4:00pm at the Empire Plaza Convention Center, Meeting Room 6
 
📅 Tuesday, August 11 • 10 AM–4 PM 
 
➡️ Reserve your free employer table by 7/21 

     

  

  

In a letter to House & Senate leadership, the ABA wrote:

  

On behalf of the American Bankers Association (ABA), I am writing to express our strong support for H.R. 9471/S. 4942, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE Banking Act) of 2026 led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH). This important legislation would provide important legal and regulatory clarity regarding legal marijuana proceeds. The SAFE Banking Act would address a significant challenge facing American businesses, our communities, and the banks that serve them. 

  

The SAFE Banking Act would improve public safety, help the government combat illicit finance, and provide a critical measure of certainty in response to the evolving legal landscape by granting cannabis businesses operating in full compliance with state laws access to essential financial services. Although nearly every U.S. state has legalized marijuana in some form, the uncertain legal landscape governing the proceeds of these state-licensed businesses means these businesses frequently operate on a cash basis, outside the regulated banking system. These state legal proceeds also flow to non-cannabis businesses and service providers, including accountants, skilled trades, landlords, and law firms. The SAFE Banking Act would remove barriers to banking these funds, materially reducing the amount of cash moving through state licensed cannabis businesses and service providers. That, in turn, would reduce the risk that these businesses are targeted by bad actors, thereby improving public safety in the communities where they operate. 

  

Recent developments underscore the need for Congress to act. The evolving legal landscape governing marijuana and related products, including hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD), has substantially increased the complexity of banking cannabis- and hemp-derived proceeds. In April, in furtherance of President Trump’s Executive Order 14370, the U.S. Department of Justice rescheduled medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and initiated a new process to re-evaluate the scheduling of non-medical marijuana. At the same time, beginning this November, many CBD products and other hemp derived products currently sold by businesses across the country will become regulated as marijuana under the CSA. As a result, the volume of marijuana-related products and state licensed proceeds is likely to increase substantially, exacerbating potential public safety and illicit finance risks. SAFE Banking would provide needed certainty by allowing these funds to enter —or remain in— the regulated banking system. 

  

Passing this legislation would reduce illicit finance risk and increase financial transparency for cannabis- and hemp-derived proceeds. Highly regulated banks and other financial institutions must adhere to stringent anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws and rules, conduct due diligence regarding their customers, screen transactions for suspicious activity, and keep records. Bringing these state-licensed businesses and their proceeds into the formal financial system would provide a meaningful level of transparency and accountability by enabling financial institutions to better identify and report illicit finance risk. 

  

Regardless of how these legal and regulatory changes unfold, the bipartisan, bicameral SAFE Banking Act would establish a clear federal framework for businesses, our communities, and the banks that serve them; enable state-licensed cannabis businesses to access essential financial services; mitigate public safety risk; and help prevent and detect unlawful activity. The SAFE Banking Act has garnered strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. ABA urges all Members of Congress to join in cosponsoring the legislation and requests prompt consideration in both the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees through regular order. ABA further urges timely passage by Congress.

-------- 

The letter, signed by ABA Chief Policy Officer Naomi Camper, was addressed to party leaders in each chamber, as well as chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Banking Committee and House Committee on Financial Services.

     

Comment: Who knows? Maybe this time, maybe, with rescheduling underway, and support from important players in government and industry, the SAFE Act may go somewhere. Maybe?   

              

July 6, 2026 - At last week’s public meeting, the CCB approved several resolutions. Here's a quick recap: 
 
✅ 24 adult-use licenses were issued, including 15 cultivators, 6 processors, 2 retail dispensaries, and 1 CAURD. This brings the total number of AU cannabis licenses approved to 2,296. 
 
✅ 36 amendment requests were approved from retail and supply licensees requesting updates to location or tier. 
 
📝 REMINDER: NY Cannabis licensees must request changes to their license records using the Amendment Request Survey. Updates can be made to License Overview, Contact Info, Location, and Ownership Notification.️ Submit requests here: License Record Updates
 
✅ 71 adult-use license renewals were approved. Each licensee met the application requirements, including updated community impact, labor peace, and workforce data. 
 
🗓️ REMINDER: Licensees must submit their renewal application no fewer than 60 days and no more than 120 days prior to their license expiration. Submitting outside this window may result in delays or non-renewal. Submit your application: Adult-Use License Renewal Application
 
✅ 15 CAURD license renewals were approved. 
 
✅ A standardized process for reviewing Public Convenience and Advantage (PCA) requests was approved. The new procedure creates a consistent framework for evaluating future PCA requests and clarifies how applicants, local governments, and the public may provide input. 
 
✅ Medical Cannabis regulations were adopted following public comment. After reviewing feedback received in response to the proposed rulemaking, OCM determined that no further changes were needed, allowing the regulations to move forward for adoption. 
 
📑 View the adopted regulations.

Same Store Sales Remains Relatively Steady

Of all the slides presented at the last CCB meeting, the one on same store sales was both a relief and questionable. The gist of it is that despite the increase in the number of retail outlets, sales per retail outlet remained relatively stable, though slightly down.

While in an earlier slide from Year-End 2025, the CCB showed the average annualized retail sales a bit higher.

                  

The Government Arguing In Favor Of Cannabis?
 

The framing of the issue was genius. DEA counsel explained that the hearing was not about recreational marijuana use and is not about legalization; it was about whether cannabis meets the legal standard for a “currently accepted medical use,” or “CAMU”, a threshold that, if proven, would make it impossible for marijuana to remain in Schedule I. 

  

By framing the matter in favor of the cannabis industry, it narrowed the proceeding down to a single, practical, scientifically grounded question rather than a broader politically motivated debate. Does cannabis have an accepted medical use?

  

A recap of the proceedings by the Clark Hill firm, lays it out.

  

“Dr. Dominic Chiapperino, director of the controlled substance staff at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, walked the tribunal through how federal health officials arrived at their 2023 recommendation that marijuana be rescheduled. He testified that the FDA found credible scientific support for cannabis’s medical use in treating several conditions, including chemotherapy-related nausea, appetite loss tied to medical conditions, and pain.  A position well established in formal medical literature. He also addressed marijuana’s comparative safety profile, telling the tribunal that while all controlled substances carry risk, cannabis withdrawal symptoms are comparable to those of tobacco, whereas alcohol withdrawal can be far more severe and even life-threatening.

  

A second witness, Dr. Corey Burchman, a New Hampshire physician with more than three decades of pain-management experience, is expected to testify about transitioning his own patients away from opioids and toward medical marijuana; testimony the DEA says will highlight cannabis’s role as a safer alternative to opioids for chronic pain patients.

  

Opponents of rescheduling, including several states and advocacy organizations, were given the opportunity to cross-examine the FDA’s witness and will continue to do so as the hearing progresses. Their arguments largely center on disputing the scientific basis for the FDA’s two-part medical-use test and raising concerns about cannabis’s health risks. But the dynamic in the room has changed: the federal government itself is now defending cannabis’s medical legitimacy, a posture that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.”

  

Stay tuned for updates….

     

  

The DEA has released more information about the rescheduling hearing set to begin today (Monday).

  

Last week, the DEA selected the entities allowed to participate in the hearing.  Below is a schedule of appearances by those participants.  

  

Glass House Brands Inc. announced that its subordinate voting shares have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

  

“We are proud and excited to be listing on the NYSE, the world’s most prestigious and important stock exchange. This listing was not possible prior to the recent reclassification of medical cannabis to Schedule III and represents an important developmental milestone for Glass House, the cannabis industry overall and our valued long-term shareholders who have supported us since inception,” said Kyle Kazan, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Glass House.

  

“Beyond the listing, we remain encouraged by the opportunities presented by rescheduling. As a leading producer of low-cost sought after cannabis, Glass House is uniquely positioned to benefit potential near term opportunities presented including the opening of interstate commerce and export of medical cannabis to Europe, each of which would meaningfully increase our addressable market size and unlock enhanced profit and cash flow generation driven by more favorable pricing dynamics.”

  

The Subordinate Voting Shares are expected to begin trading under the symbol “GLAS” at the opening of trading on June 30, 2026.

 

Current shareholders of the Company are not required to take any action prior to the Company’s expected listing.

Growing the #NYCannabis Workforce  

On August 11, OCM, in partnership with the New York State Department of Labor and the Black Cannabis Industry Association, will host the Capital District Cannabis Industry Job Fair in Albany. Designed to support workforce development across New York's cannabis industry, the event will connect licensed businesses with qualified job seekers from across the Capital Region and provide opportunities for recruitment, networking, and community engagement. 

 

Capital District licensees are invited to participate at no cost and reserve a table by July 21, 2026. Participating businesses will have the opportunity to recruit talent for immediate and future hiring needs while connecting with workforce organizations, educational institutions, and community partners. 

Register Here... 

Safe Storage Campaign Launches This Summer – OCM is rolling out a new series of public service announcements promoting the safe storage of cannabis products and the importance of keeping them out of reach of children and pets.

Core Rules for Safe Storage

                  

  

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) appointed seven "interested persons" to participate in administrative hearings regarding the proposed rescheduling of cannabis. Controversially, all seven selected participants—including Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and several states—are staunch opponents of marijuana liberalization.

  

The upcoming hearings, which begin on June 29, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia, are overseen by former DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek C. Julius.

  

  

The DEA selected the following seven parties, all of whom assert they are adversely affected by the rule, to testify against broadening federal cannabis legalization: 

    

  

Despite the broader rescheduling debate, the U.S. Department of Justice has already enacted a final order downgrading state-licensed medical cannabis products to Schedule III. The ongoing hearings will determine whether the reclassification should apply to all cannabis products, potentially paving the way for expanded banking access and federal tax deductions. No representatives from the cannabis industry or patient advocacy groups were formally granted participation status.

  

Get more information at DEA (.gov). 

  

Advocates for rescheduling are crying foul, saying basically, the “fix is in.”

     

                  

  

How does AI view cannabis?

  

According to 5W, cannabis is the most legally fragmented major consumer category in America and, as a result, the most fragmented AI search category 5W has measured. 

  

Federal Schedule I status combined with 25 different state-level adult-use regimes and 16 medical-only regimes produces AI search behavior that varies dramatically by query phrasing, state context, product type, and even the moment the AI was last fine-tuned. The same prompt — "best cannabis dispensary near me" — returns substantively different brand citations in California, Florida, and Massachusetts. The same brand surfaces in some states and disappears in others.

  

This report measures who is winning that fragmented citation surface and who is not. 5W ran 50+ consumer-intent prompts through ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews in Q1 2026, tracking citations across five sub-categories: U.S. multi-state operators (MSOs), branded cannabis consumer products, CBD-specific brands, dispensary aggregators and tech, and ancillary services.

  

The findings: Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Green Thumb Industries together account for an estimated 17.5% of all cannabis-category AI citations across the prompts we tested — the dominant MSO citation tier. 

  

Cookies leads consumer-product cannabis brand citations by a wide margin. 

  

Charlotte's Web leads the CBD sub-category with citation density that no challenger has matched in five years. 

  

Leafly and Weedmaps each capture more aggregator citations than every individual MSO except Curaleaf. 

  

Approximately 28% of cannabis prompts we tested produced AI engine refusals, hedges, or prominent disclaimers — substantially higher than any other category 5W has measured. 

     

USING CANNABIS CANNOT PRECLUDE GUN OWNERSHIP UNDER THE SECOND AMENDMENT, SUPREME COURT SAYS

                  

The Supreme Court said on Thursday that marijuana users cannot be barred from owning a gun, simply because they use marijuana.

  

In a unanimous decision, the justices sided with Ali Danial Hemani, who argued that a law barring guns from anyone who uses drugs illegally violates the Second Amendment. 

  

Republicans stood firm in support of the 1968 law despite generally favoring gun rights in other contexts. And, the same law was also used in the prosecution of Hunter Biden, who was convicted in Wilmington, Delaware, of buying a gun while addicted to cocaine in 2018. Top of Form

  

Recreational cannabis use remains illegal on a federal level, though medical use was reclassified in April to a Schedule III drug. 

  

Other than Hunter Biden and a handful of other cases, standalone criminal cases are rare  against people accused of owning guns and using drugs.

  

Also, a pairing of interests between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) was formed when both supported Hemani's case. NORML also supported the ACLU’s opposition to the law.  

  

Gun safety groups like Everytown supported law. 

  

In the case, Justice Gorsuch wrote, “Ali Hemani uses marijuana a few times a week. That fact alone, the government says, means he is automatically banned from possessing a firearm under federal law.  And because Mr. Hemani admits he owns a gun despite this ban, the government now seeks to prosecute him, imprison him for up to 15 years, and disarm him for life.  This case poses the question whether the government’s prosecution of Mr. Hemani is consistent with the Second Amendment.”

  

The Supreme Court opinion is available here.

     

NEW YORK CANNABIS REGULATORS SCORE THREE DECISIVE VICTORIES IN PROTECTING THE STATE’S LEGAL CANNABIS MARKET 

New York courts handed the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) three favorable rulings that affirm regulators’ discretionary authority and protect the State agency’s administrative infrastructure. 

“We appreciate the court’s thorough review and validation in these three cases. The favorable resolutions allow us to continue strengthening our internal procedures as our agency and the market mature,” said OCM Executive Director John Kagia. “These rulings affirm key policy frameworks that ensure all our stakeholders are treated equally and fairly under our laws and regulations.” 

In Papi’s Secret Stash LLC v. New York State Cannabis Control Board and New York State Office of Cannabis Management, opinion entered on June 2, 2026, the court dismissed the petition and affirmed OCM’s authority to protect the public through its licensing processes. The court upheld the CCB’s denial of a microbusiness license application based on evidence that the applicant had given away or sold unlicensed cannabis. The court found that, even though there was no judicial finding of illegal cannabis sales, “there is no requirement in the Cannabis Law or Regulations that a license may only be denied if there is an adjudicated finding of a violation of state or local law.” 

In Wicked Glass v. New York State Cannabis Control Board and New York State Office of Cannabis Management, opinion entered on June 1, 2026, the court dismissed certain challenges to Notices of Violation issued by OCM’s Enforcement Division as moot and refused to allow the petitioners’ other claims to circumvent the administrative fact-finding process, protecting the authority of the Office of Administrative Hearings. 

Finally, in Legendary Bliss v. New York State Cannabis Control Board and New York State Office of Cannabis Management, opinion entered on June 2, 2026, the court dismissed the petition, finding that OCM’s requirement that multiple licenses could not be issued for the same address was lawful because it faithfully applied the Cannabis law. 

 “Effective regulation requires complex coordination involving non-lawyers, courtroom advocates, and policymakers at all levels over many months. I would like to congratulate our incredible inhouse team and the Office of the Attorney General, which zealously advocated for the agency in these cases,” said Barbara Graves-Poller, OCM General Counsel.

                  

New York's legal cannabis market crossed $3 billion in sales as regulators and state lawmakers aggressively restructured the industry. Key updates include:   

     

Last week, Trulieve Cannabis became the first U.S. cannabis operator to list on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock is now trading under the symbol "TRLV."

  

Although a publicly traded company moving up to the NYSE is not uncommon, it is in the cannabis industry.

  

Major U.S. cannabis companies have been shut out of the NYSE and Nasdaq Stock Market because marijuana remained federally illegal and was deemed a Schedule I drug, a classification reserved for the most addictive and dangerous drugs. As a result, many of these companies traded on Canadian exchanges or less stringently regulated over-the-counter (OTC) markets. That limited visibility and reduced liquidity kept most institutional investors on the sidelines.

  

Trulieve's NYSE debut became possible after the U.S. government moved state-licensed medical marijuana businesses into Schedule III designation, which is reserved for drugs with possible therapeutical uses. This change creates a pathway for federal registration of medical cannabis operators.

  

Trulieve restructured its business so that the company listed on the exchange consists entirely of medical marijuana operations.

  

Trulieve didn't, however, abandon the recreational cannabis market. That business still exists and can continue generating revenue, but it's not included in the NYSE-listed entity's financial structure. In other words, Trulieve created a corporate structure that satisfies exchange requirements while preserving its economic exposure to the broader cannabis market.

  

If other operators can follow a similar path, the entire industry's investor base could expand dramatically.

Read the story in the Motley Fool.

     

    

Vireo Growth completed the acquisition of its 389,000 square foot cannabis cultivation and production facility at 256 County Route 117 in Perth, New York, previously leased from Innovative Industrial Properties.
    
The $88.5 million purchase was funded by a $49 million seller-financed note at 15% interest, maturing May 25, 2027 with two one-year extension options, and a $41.0 million loan from Chicago Atlantic secured by a second mortgage.

Negatives:

In other news, Vireo Growth plans to acquire all   membership interests of Bridgewell Agribusiness, a privately held supplier of organic and non-GMO food and agricultural products. 
    
And, Vireo Growth acquired FLUENT in an all‑stock arrangement. The deal aims to create scale in Florida with approximately 74 stores and 144,000 sq ft of canopy. FLUENT reported approximately $71.5M revenue from Florida in 2025. Some of FLUENT’s other assets in New York have either been abandoned, sold, or discontinued.

You received this email because you subscribed to our list. You can unsubscribe at any time. 

506 Mountainview Avenue
VALLEY COTTAGE, NY 10989
USA 

Powered by EmailOctopus

This is a text block, edit the text here.