The Bronx Cannabis Hub Successfully Helps 30 People Directly Impacted by the War on Drugs Apply for the First Round of Cannabis Dispensary Licenses in New York

Bronx, New York – The Bronx Cannabis Hub – a project of The Bronx Defenders in partnership with The Bronx Community Foundation – is proud to announce that as of last Monday’s deadline for New York’s first round of cannabis dispensary licenses, it helped 30 people successfully complete and submit applications. During the licensing application period, the Hub screened over 600 New Yorkers hoping to obtain one of 150 cannabis dispensary licenses which the State has reserved for people who faced, or have family members who faced, prosecution for marijuana.

Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders:

“The Hub has exceeded every expectation we set. When we launched in late July, our first goal was to set up a legal clinic to help people understand the new licensing regulations and ensure they were supported at every step of the application process. When the first round of licenses was announced, we were ready, organizing weekly, and then daily, meetings in The Bronx Defenders offices to screen people for eligibility, educate them about the law, provide resources to help people form business entities, analyze certificates of disposition, and everything in between. We believe everyone who we assisted has a chance to participate in the new cannabis market, and build the intergenerational wealth long denied to them and their communities through racist enforcement and decades of disinvestment.

“This effort would not have been possible without the team at The Bronx Defenders, particularly our Interim Director of The Bronx Cannabis Hub and Policy Counsel to the Criminal Defense Practice, Eli Northrup; the leadership of our on-site legal expert, Cristina Buccola, Esq.; the indispensable support of Cleary Gottlieb and a half dozen additional pro bono law firms; and the educational support provided by Akele Parnell from Lantern through his work leading the New York Cannabis Project. We will continue to assist this first cohort of applicants through the rest of the process, and look forward to helping a new group of prospective applicants when the other licenses become available next year.”

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