420 with CNW — New York’s Social Equity Program Grapples with Predatory Investors
In 2022, a couple, Kim Stetz and her partner Marq Hayes submitted an application for a Conditional Adult-Use Recreational Dispensary (CAURD) license. Their goal was to open an adult-use marijuana store called Brown Budda in New York. They were among over 900 applicants hoping to secure a social equity CAURD permit, a surprisingly low number given the state’s history of cannabis-related arrests. Out of all the applicants, only 32 individuals were initially selected for provisional approval. Fast forward two and a half years and Brown Budda is fully licensed and had even launched delivery operations. However, the municipality they are…