Brockport, N.Y. (WHAM) — Evergreen Retail is one of the latest dispensaries in the Finger-Lakes region preparing to open this month.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Karen Tobin, the owner of Evergreen Retail.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday that more than 400 adult-use cannabis licenses were issued this year.
Several prospective licensees have been waiting a long time to start their businesses, including Tobin.
BACKGROUND | First 7 retail cannabis licenses awarded in Rochester-Finger Lakes region
“When the CAURD program came out, we qualified,” she said. “So, we applied for that in September of 2022 and then we received our provisional license in July of 2023, and then we received our greenlight to operate in March of 2024.”
However, prior legal disputes paused the process for Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses.
MORE | New cannabis retail licenses on hold after injunction continues | New York cannabis retailers face uncertainty as court ruling halts licensing program
“A previous litigation held up the office’s processing of CAURD applications and that was lifted on April 1,” said Chris Alexander, the executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management, at a meeting on Friday. “The Office will begin opening up those applications and begin reviewing those applications again for eligibility.”
“It’s been
