Governor Kathy Hochul today said she will overhaul the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the state agency in charge of the legal cannabis roll out.
After much complaint about the slow licensing process, which led to hundreds of illegal cannabis shops sprouting all over New York City, the Commissioner for the Office of General Services Jeanette Moy will lead the overhaul to ensure "long-term success" of the industry, the governor said through a press release.
Moy will embed in the OCM for a minimum of 30-days to assess the agency’s organization. As part of the plan, several goals have been identified, including:
- Top-down review of organizational structure, processes, and systems with a focus on improving OCM license processing times and application-to-opening timeframes for new cannabis retailers and businesses.
- Develop key performance metrics and an executive-level licensing dashboard to provide the Executive Chamber with a timely, accurate, and comprehensive picture of licensing activity for legal retailers.
- Identify and implement changes to policy, procedure, and regulation (within the bounds of the MRTA) to streamline the licensing process and simplify application and review for prospective licensees.
- Develop three-month and six-month action plans with organizational change initiatives, milestones, and actions to continue improving agency functions while developing a world-class licensing and regulatory agency for New York States’ cannabis industry.
Commissioner Moy will have access to resources from OGS, the Office of Information Technology Services and other state agencies to support the development of systems and dashboards. Additionally, OCM leadership and staff will work in partnership with Commissioner Moy and her team to help streamline the assessment process.
Following the initial 30-day period, the potential for external consulting may be considered to support a second, longer-duration phase of the effort.
"I look forward to working with OCM’s leadership to help get this agency’s work on track and find ways to streamline the application process and get businesses open," Moy said.
