A judge is ordering a preliminary injunction remain in place for conditional adult-use retail dispensary (CAURD) licensees and no exemptions be granted amid a lawsuit that claims some New Yorkers who applied for state-issued cannabis licenses were unfairly given preferential treatment.

This comes after the judge on Friday ruled to allow 23 cannabis stores to open in New York amid the injunction but asked the state Office of Cannabis Management to show that the 30 stores listed for exemption had completed everything needed in order to open. The office said it submitted those materials on Monday, but the judge said it did not provide clarity.

He is asking the state Office of Cannabis Management to resubmit its list and certify applicant-by-applicant and requirement-by-requirement. Then the court will address each licensee case by case.

The case before Judge Kevin Bryant was brought by four military veterans who applied for licenses to sell cannabis. They allege the license process by New York’s Office of Cannabis Management, or OCM, goes against what was set into law in March 2021. Specifically, that OCM is giving priority to people who had a previous marijuana conviction in New York over disabled vets and other groups.