We believe that the Cannabis Law’s progressive and nation-leading framework to foster a competitive, diverse, and fair marketplace can become the foundation for the federal legalization system. To accomplish this, New York’s framework needs to be supported and protected through regulation, administrative priorities, and innovative policymaking to prevent uncompetitive market behavior witnessed not just in other cannabis markets but throughout the broader economy. We promote policies that promote fair trade practices, enforcement of ownership rules, and the ability of independent operators to compete throughout the supply chain.

We advocate for a common-sense approach to regulation that protects consumers while ensuring that the regulatory apparatus is not overly prohibitive for small businesses. The regulated cannabis industry is nascent and constantly innovating, necessitating a regulatory framework that adapts to new technologies and methodologies in cannabis cultivation, dispensing, and manufacturing.

We advocate for enforcement of the rules necessary to keep the market competitive, protect consumer safety, and ensure that all actors are clear about what is and is not allowed. While ECMA strongly believes that New York State should not revert to practices that continue to criminalize cannabis, we firmly believe that unlicensed businesses operating outside of the regulated framework must be held accountable through strict civil enforcement.

We advocate for a marketplace that is diverse in every sense by promoting and protecting diversity initiatives and upholding the spirit of the MRTA. We believe that the diversity in ideas, culture, and experience is New York’s greatest strength in fostering the innovation necessary to compete in a global cannabis economy.