Conflicts Between State Cannabis Law and Local Ordinances, Norms, and Culture

Earlier in this module, you were tasked with reviewing a public hearing or meeting and considering the conflicts between state cannabis law and local ordinances norms and culture that came up during it. Now it is time for you to look at a conflict that arose in another jurisdiction that is opposed to your own.
INSTRUCTIONS
Find a post from another student in the previous discussion that analyzed an argument made in another jurisdiction that is not aligned with the way things are in your own jurisdiction.
Address the following on the discussion board:
Give a brief summary of the conflict.
How severe of an issue would it have been if that conflict had taken place in your own jurisdiction?
Write a counterargument to the position that the other student took by relying on your own experiences and beliefs.
Remember to stay respectful in your counterargument. The point of the exercise is to make a convincing argument and not to be hostile.
Meeting of the New York State Cannabis Control Board (15 June 2023)
The meeting was held in Buffalo, NY
NYS Office of Cannabis Management (totalwebcasting.com)Links to an external site.
What conflicts between state cannabis law and local ordinances, norms, and culture did you expect to arise?
One conflict was of cultivators (state farmers), using their own money for the harvest of their crop but not being able to offload crop “biomass” from last year. As the board looks to facilitate a new program that allows a market-type event that enables farmers to sell directly like micro businesses. The board will consider a special meeting for this issue.
Another conflict came from Todd Stevenson from Jamestown NY. His family business is to raise public awareness for cannabis. The business is in North Carolina and registered as the only cannabis ribbon in the United States. The tax for cannabis is distributed to the state's local government, though cannabis is illegal in the state. As 25% of the tax goes to NC General Assembly, and 75% to the local police department, which raided the family business and he went to jail for 25 months, for growing marijuana with NC marijuana tax stamps attached.
Compare what happened to your expectations.
I expected to hear arguments from disgruntle residence who did not agree with nor want cannabis dispensaries or retailers near their communities or cities at all, in addition, to a split board with legislation restrictive of many operational requirements. The hearing completely changed my point of view as the board spoke of positive social equity programs, an accelerated program paid by the state for card licensees on how to operationalize the licenses, and a unanimous vote on the motion to approve Resolution 2023-23 conditional adult-use retail dispensary licenses.
What surprised me was the enthusiasm from the board for 15 total cannabis retailers operating across the state; 2 retailers in Syracuse and the first retail operator in the Bronx; being a delivery-only retailer.
Choose one argument delivered by an attendee from the meeting or hearing that squirts the position of a stakeholder with whom you are involved. How can you use this argument to the stakeholder's benefit?
I am not involved with a stakeholder, but the comments made by Ms. Peppa Stokes, a board majority leader, who is not interested in getting into the cannabis business was compassionate in terms of encouragement to all entrepreneurs and applicants who are licensed or plan to be, to be patient. She expressed care and gratitude to the board for their support in actions to allow writing legislature for putting black and brown people, and NY farmers first. The cannabis industry is a long-term opportunity, and they should allow the OCM to stabilize the industry.