Stand Up for Equity. Stand Up for Justice.

We’re calling on Govenor Hochul to take action and restore the original, community-informed rule that was vetted, approved, and essential to building a fair and thriving legal market.

The Office of Cannabis Management’s (OCM) sudden backtrack on the “door to door” measurement rule threatens to shut down 30% of licensed dispensaries—disproportionately impacting Black, Brown, women, and veteran-owned businesses. That’s 152 dispensaries forced to close or relocate. This is not just bad policy—it’s a betrayal of equity, economic justice, and the promises of cannabis reform.

We are calling on Governor Hochul to protect social equity in cannabis by reversing OCM’s sudden change to the rules. No one should be punished for faithfully following the rules that the state already laid out, and the rules should remain the same for everyone moving forward.

This is not merely a regulatory correction—it is a matter of justice, economic stability, and trust in the institutions tasked with stewarding New York’s cannabis industry. Come stand with the dispensary owners, employees, and communities impacted by this re-interpretation of the proximity rule and call for swift, decisive action to restore fairness and integrity to the licensing process and the market

Please make calls to Governor Hochul today. We have provided you with a script below to use in your calls.

SCRIPT:

Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling from [Organization Name or Community]. I’m reaching out to urge Governor Hochul to take immediate action to protect New York’s legal cannabis dispensaries that are being unfairly targeted due to the Office of Cannabis Management’s sudden change of the proximity rule.

This sudden change threatens to shut down over 150 licensed dispensaries, many of which are Black, Brown, women, and veteran-owned. These businesses followed OCM’s original guidance in good faith and now face devastating consequences.

I’m asking Governor Hochul to protect social equity in cannabis by reversing OCM’s sudden change to the rules. No one should be punished for faithfully following the rules that the state already laid out, and the rules should remain the same for everyone moving forward.

This is not just a regulatory issue—it’s a matter of economic justice, equity, and trust in New York’s cannabis reform process.

Thank you for your time. I hope Governor Hochul will stand with our communities and take swift action to restore fairness to the cannabis marketplace.