Cannabis news in New York moves fast and there’s a lot of it. 

Over the past month, we’ve seen a move to repeal the marijuana potency tax; an announcement by New York’s cannabis regulator that it would double the number of licenses to operate retail businesses; and a push to shut down black market cannabis dealers. 

Chair of a new state Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis, Sen. Jeremy Cooney, is pushing for swift action within the emerging state budget deal to crack down on illicit pot shops.

“A lot of the debate in the Legislature is about how big the fines may be, what the agency is that has the ability to make searches and seizures. I’m more interested in the timeline. We’ve got to move quickly,” he told Capital Tonight. 

While Cooney acknowledged the challenges facing the state’s nascent cannabis industry (calling it “building a plane as we fly it”) he says addressing the illicit market should be a top priority.

“If a bar popped up on the corner of your street that didn’t have a liquor license, they’d be shut down like that,” he said. “Why is it not the same for cannabis?”

Cooney wants to use his new position to help the diverse constituency of the cannabis industry find common ground.

“By having a dedicated subcommittee that deals with cannabis, and by working with other committees, we can hold hearings, we can convene groups, we can use subpoena power,” he said with the caveat that he’s not looking to be punitive.

“We want to you to have a place to go, share your ideas, vent your frustrations and hopefully, work on solutions,” he said.