FAIRPORT, N.Y. — New York's burgeoning adult-use retail cannabis market is set to take a big step Thursday.
The State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has set August 25 as the date it will start accepting applications for its “CAURD” or Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program.
- Be justice-involved, as defined by the state (i.e. have a previous cannabis conviction)
- Have at least 2 years of qualifying business experience
- Retain sole control or at least 30% ownership of the business
- Maintain a significant presence in New York State
Approved hemp growers and processors have had since April to plant and ready cannabis for distribution but OCM says its goal with adult-use retail dispensaries is to rectify decades of injustice and “the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition.”
For hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers charged over the years, a new age of legality has presented a new opportunity that Britni and Jason Tantalo of Fairport are eager to take advantage of.
“First off, we're super excited,” said Britni Tantalo.
Britni and her husband plan to apply for a conditional cannabis license through the CAURD program. Both have cannabis convictions and have lived with the associated stigma. Britni was 17 years old when she says she was charged with possession.
“I was looked at as a criminal a drug user, someone people didn't want their children to associate with,” Britni said.
Her husband, Jason was slapped with the same charge, a reduced sentence after he was caught growing a singular cannabis plant when he was 20 years old. He said the charge then prevented him from enlisting in the army.
“Having this charge, it held me back significantly,” said Jason Tantalo.
Although impacted by stigma, the Tantalos have been able to succeed, they built a business around their challenges and opened Meta Vega Hydroponics in 2014. Then as rumblings of legalization started in Albany, the couple incorporated Flower City Dispensary in 2020 and Flower City Hydroponics in 2021.
So, when the CAURD program was announced they were ready.
“It's a great opportunity to participate especially having possession charges and the criminal charges that eliminated the opportunities to progress in life,” Jason said.
Freeman Klopott, Communications Director for the Office of Cannabis Management told 2 On Your Side last week that the state expects to grant an initial 100-200 licenses to CAURD applicants. OCM expects to receive many more applications than that so not all of them will be approved.
Britni said if their application is accepted, it’d be like winning the lottery. Since opening Flower City Dispensary in 2020, the Tantalos have been connecting with newly licensed growers like Enfield Glen Hopyard in Newfield, as they try to control their destiny.
One thing they will not have control over is where their potential dispensary is located. While the State Office of Cannabis Management will allow applicants to rank order their preferred location, the state will determine the distribution and location of retail stores. The Tantalos hope to stay in Rochester but said Buffalo wouldn’t be too bad. 9 applications will be accepted in the Finger Lakes region and 11 in Western New York.
It remains unclear how long the CAURD program’s approval process will take but Tantalos said if they aren’t lucky enough to be selected when the state launches its general retail cannabis application they will once again apply.
But if someone from OCM is reading this, Britni’s pitch remains…
“We are candidates who have been preparing for this. We are confident in it and if given the chance we're going to run with it and succeed.”