With over 16 months of New York’s medical marijuana program in the books, the state’s five vertically integrated dispensaries are failing and remain in the red. But the state still reportedly plans to double the state’s licenses to 10 within the next month.
Last Friday, to combat this expansion effort, four of the state’s five licensed dispensaries sued the state Department of Health. Those companies, Vireo Health, Etain, PharmaCann, and Bloomfield Industries, from the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, all “submitted affidavits in support of the lawsuit.”
Columbia Care, the state’s fifth licensed operation, did not join the suit.
According to the Albany Times-Union, the other companies feel expansion would “tank the nascent industry and potentially harm thousands of patients who rely on medical marijuana to treat their ailments.” The formal complaint also added,“DOH’s decision to recklessly double the number of license holders will undoubtedly lead to the collapse of the industry.”
Department of Health spokeswoman Jill Montag retorted that the DOH “will continue to fight any attempts to block patients from the relief they…