NY marijuana legalization: See dispensaries map, timeline

David Robinson, New York State Team

New York's rollout of cannabis dispensaries is gaining momentum after years of regulatory missteps and lawsuits delayed the industry growth promised by lawmakers.

To improve understanding of the state of cannabis in New York, the USA TODAY Network is publishing a map of legal dispensaries as they open, as well as the following timeline of the adult-use marijuana legalization effort.

Among the cannabis industry milestones in New York:

  • June 2014: New York becomes the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana, though that program suffered major missteps over the following decade amid tight regulation and patient access and affordability barriers.

  • March 2021: State lawmakers voted to make New York the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana, marking a key step to ending years of failed attempts to allow adults to purchase, grow and use cannabis-based drugs.

  • The adult-use legislation passed by a margin of 43 to 20 in the Senate and 100 to 49 in the Assembly, with Democrats controlling both chambers. Then Gov. Andrew Cuomo soon approved the law, reversing course on his long-standing opposition to recreational marijuana.

  • November 2022: Regulators approve the first 36 cannabis dispensaries, with the Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary licenses going to business owners directly impacted by prior marijuana convictions, or nonprofits with a history of helping incarcerated people.

  • August 2023:  A state judge issued an injunction blocking New York from issuing new marijuana dispensary licenses, siding with a group of service-disabled veterans that claimed state regulators unconstitutionally awarded initial dispensary licenses to businesses impacted by prior marijuana convictions.

  • October 2023: Regulators begin accepting cannabis retail applications from the general public, opening up the industry to a broad swath of business hopefuls previously excluded by the prioritization of justice-involved applicants.

  • February 2024: State regulators approved 109 new marijuana business licenses, including 38 retail dispensaries, as New York's cannabis industry aimed to get on track following repeated setbacks. They also approved the proposed home-grow regulations that would allow New Yorkers to possess up to 12 cannabis plants and five pounds of marijuana per household.

  • February 2024: Elevate Cannabis Dispensary, Westchester County's first, holds a grand opening. Treehouse Cannabis, the first cannabis dispensary licensed in Rockland County, launches home delivery of marijuana ahead of its planned spring opening of its brick-and-mortar site in Nyack.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Legal weed in NY: Where to find it, history of cannabis

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