New York Cracks Down

New York's state-regulated cannabis business has been booming after a very rough start. I am a big fan of New York City, the state and its cannabis program, but there was a big problem. Today, the New York Times revealed that Omnium Canna, a processor, has been banned.

The company, which was licensed in 2023 as a processor of cannabis, was apparently allowing other brands into the state, which was against the rules because the brands were not licensed. Some of the ones that have been mentioned were Cookies, Gron, Mfused, and Stiizy. These are all well-known outside of New York.

Omnium’s conduct is a blatant breach of the licensing rules designed to ensure transparency and fairness in the legal market.

Felicia A. Felicia Felicia A.B. Reid, Acting Executive Director at NYS Office of Cannabis Management (OCM)B. Reid. B. Reid

This move has forced the recall of $30 million in products. The company could face more penalties. The founder of Omnium was Howard Hoffman, a Filipino-American. You can learn more about Hoffman in this article, and StupidDope, an online business that I don't know, wrote about this incident in February and in March. The Omnium website doesn't reveal much about the company.

The cannabis industry, including state-licensed and hemp-based, needs more regulation. It's nice to see New York taking action.