In July 2014, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act which also authorized the marijuana outlets. The Health Department called the decision on the issued registrations a “rigorous and comprehensive” review on prospective purveyors of the drug. At the end of July, the New York State Health Department named the five organizations that would be permitted to grow and sell the drug for medical use in the state; this includes in New York City.
Even with strict rules and precise regulations that were announced this past spring, the bidding for these licenses were incredibly intense. Forty-three companies submitted their applications in the hope that they would be selected. However, five, and only five, lucky companies would receive licenses. After the selections were announced, State Senator Diane Savino reassured the losers by saying, “To those who did not make the cut, stick around. New York is a very big state”.
Now that the licenses have been issued, the organizations will be registered with the state. Each of them has plans to open four dispensaries statewide. According to the requirements of the licenses, the organizations must be doing business within six months. For those with conditions that are in need of medical marijuana, this means that medical marijuana could be on sale in New York as soon as the end of the year.
The winning companies now have the challenge of cultivating the marijuana. Keeping in mind the large pool of potential customers, dispensaries have been planned for New York City; this includes the Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. Etain, one of the winning companies, plans to grow the drug in Chestertown and sell the end product in Kingston, Syracuse, Albany and Yonkers.
The other winning companies have also revealed their plans now that they have acquired their licenses. Bloomfield Industries plans to grow in Queens and dispense the product in Manhattan, Nassau County and two other upstate counties. Empire State Health Solutions has stated that its manufacturing facility will be located in Albany and its dispensaries will be in Albany County, Queens and two other locations. Illinois-based PharmaCannis – abbreviated name is PharmaCann – will grow its product in Hamptonburgh, located in Orange County. Its products will then be dispensed in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx as well as Syracuse, Buffalo and Albany.
Even with these great milestones for medical marijuana, businesses are still struggling to secure the payment processing they need from banks to ensure their business’ profitability. Obviously, operating as cash-only is not a great option. Marijuana payment solutions through alternative providers has really become an ideal option for many marijuana companies. Application approval is much faster than a traditional source and the process is hassle-free and simple.
For the entrepreneur, time is money. Marijuana payment solutions allow businesses to skip the waiting, offer their customers safe payment processing and operate their business in an efficient and profitable way. Until medical marijuana is recognized at the federal level, alternative providers will continue to prove to be invaluable.
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