Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis

In this episode of Joint Session, host Herb Barbot welcomes Joe Rossi, a prominent figure in New York's cannabis industry and founder of Modern Advocacy LLC. They discuss the evolution of the cannabis market in New York after 4 years of the MRTA, the challenges faced by licensed operators, and the importance of social equity in the industry. Rossi shares insights on regulatory changes, legislative...

In this episode Herb speaks with Axel Bernabe , inaugural Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Director for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.  Axel, a partner at Manatt Health in NYC, was health counsel to former NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo.  In that role, Axel helped negotiate the groundbreaking Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act with the NYS Legislature.   Our Licensee Highlight seg...

In this episode Herb speaks with Tavian Crosland , New York Director of the Social Equity Empowerment Network .  Tavian is an impassioned and thoughtful advocate for ensuring that the path to cannabis legalization and commercialization does not leave behind those communities and individuals who were disproportionately impacted by criminal enforcement.  Tavian, a former legacy operator, shares deep...

In this episode Herb speaks with New York City Council Member Julie Menin. Council Member Menin represents New York City’s District 5 which covers the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as East Harlem, Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island, Carnegie Hill, and Yorkville. Council Member Menin’s broad history serving NYC residents as the City’s Census Director, Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, as well as C...

In this special two-part series Herb speaks with former NYS Office of Cannabis Management colleagues – Aaron Ghitelman , Benjamin Sheridan, and Matthew Greenberg . The group holds nothing back in a wide-ranging discussion reviewing events from enactment of the NYS Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act on March 31, 2021, through the following three years. In a conversation sure to raise eyebrows, t...

In this special two-part series Herb speaks with former NYS Office of Cannabis Management colleagues – Aaron Ghitelman , Benjamin Sheridan, and Matthew Greenberg . The group holds nothing back in a wide-ranging discussion reviewing events from enactment of the NYS Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act on March 31, 2021, through the following three years. In a conversation sure to raise eyebrows, t...

In this episode Herb speaks with cannabis real estate attorney Kristin Jordan about Kentucky’s medical marijuana applications, the impetus for creating the Asian Cannabis Roundtable , and the real estate challenges facing New York’s cannabis market. Our Licensee Highlight segment features Reggie Keith, founder Buffalo’s Canna-House , a premiere cannabis event club, lifestyle brand, and resource ce...

The measure of injuries and fatalities on the country’s roadways following cannabis legalization has been haphazard and inconclusive.  In this episode Herb speaks with Chuck DeWeese , former head of the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, former chair of the national Governors’ Highway Safety Association, and founder/CEO of Connecting Clients Consulting LLC.  In addition to the res...

New York State’s cannabis program has been a magnet for lawsuits that have stymied progress in issuing licenses and growing the industry. Is the problem the agency’s implementation of the governing law, or is it the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act itself that is the problem? In this episode Herb speaks with attorney Fatima Afia and covers the full range of lawsuits that have been filed again...

In this episode Herb briefly covers news items from across the country, and locally in New York, where a major report in The City , by Rosalind Adams, detailed that OCM officials repeatedly raised alarms to Governor Hochul’s team over private equity loan deal. Also, shuttered unlicensed shop owners joined to bring a class action lawsuit against New York City claiming the closures are unconstitutio...

In this episode Herb describes his concerns with the turmoil at the NYS Office of Cannabis Management and how that might impact the momentum in the state’s evolving cannabis industry.  In the first segment, Herb speaks with Jennifer Cabrera, Esq. , a partner at Vicente, LLP, a law firm focused on cannabis law and policy.  Jennifer’s work with cannabis license applicants in NY and NJ provides us wi...

In this episode, Herb speaks to acclaimed author, Daniel Okrent , about his book Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition .  Daniel served as the first public editor of the New York Times and invented Rotisserie League Baseball.  His book, Last Call , served as a major source for the 2011 Ken Burns/Lynn Novick miniseries Prohibition.  His most recent book is T he Guarded Gate:Bigotry, Eugenics,...

In this episode, Herb speaks to Jeffrey Hoffman, Esq. (Hoffman & Associates),  Jeffrey is a well-known cannabis attorney and advocate, as well as host of Ask Me Anything about Cannabis Legalization in New York Ask Me Anything about Cannabis Legalization in New York | LinkedIn .  Herb and Jeffrey run down the changes coming to NYS cannabis as a result of the recently negotiated Fiscal Year 2025...

In this episode Herb speaks to Dasheeda Dawson, founding director of Cannabis NYC and Jeffrey Garcia, Executive Director of NYC’s Office of Nightlife.  They discuss NYC’s support for those individuals and small businesses interested in participating in the growing legal cannabis industry.  They also discuss the expected economic benefits of what is expected to be the single largest market for cann...

In our premiere episode Herb speaks to NYS Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes.  The Majority Leader was the prime sponsor of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which created the adult-use market, the Office of Cannabis Management, the Cannabis Control Board, as well as the Cannabis Advisory Board.  In our second segment, Herb speaks to Beatrice Stein, founder of Hospitality Pa...

Welcome to Joint Session: Diverse Voices in New York State Cannabis .   This spring marks the 3rd anniversary of the signing of New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which legalized adult-use cannabis and established what is expected to be the largest cannabis market in the world.   The rollout has already had its highs and lows.  New York became the first state in the nation to award...