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Jenny Argie (Hashish Skilled)
CEO of Jenny's | Pioneering Hashish Wellness & Culinary Innovation | Hudson Valley, NY
Trade gamers say New York's Workplace of Hashish Administration — the company tasked with overseeing the state's authorized marijuana market — is utilizing enforcement powers to retaliate in opposition to those that communicate out. his half within the flawed launch of the brand new market.
Audio recordings, emails and social media posts, together with greater than a dozen interviews with enterprise house owners and others, proof why these operators are afraid to talk out — they worry shedding or being denied a license , or expertise “selective software”.
“It seems to be like we wish to pressure folks to speak,” mentioned Ruben Lindo, an entrepreneur and founding father of multi-state hashish model Blak Mar Farms.
And the OCM management “does nothing,” he mentioned.
Though considerations have been an open secret within the Empire State's hashish business for greater than a 12 months, the circumstances surrounding OCM's first recall of a hashish product, and what occurred subsequent, they now convey considerations entrance and middle.
And most of the allegations revolve round a senior state official who has been overtly hostile towards individuals who disagree with OCM's strategies.
“Make examples of dangerous actors”
Jenny Argie was excited to enter the New York hashish market in 2022 as one of many state's first licensed processors, changing the plant into edibles, vapes and topical ointments, amongst different merchandise.
Like many within the nascent area, Argie — a most cancers survivor — struggled and saved to start out Jenny's, an organization that particularly targets a wellness area of interest: sugar-free, vegan, kosher and natural gummies. She took out a second house mortgage to open her Hudson Valley facility and later turned down affords from massive firms hoping to purchase into her enterprise, she mentioned.
But all through the next 12 months, Argie famous the proliferation of illicit merchandise getting into the market with impunity.
She started talking out, first in print and at last at a New York State Senate Subcommittee on Hashish listening to in October 2023, the place she defined to senators how New York corporations had been importing merchandise unlawful and handed them off as cultivated within the state.
Lawmakers requested how he knew this. Argie didn’t reply on the time – however he had the data on good authority.
These particulars got here from Damian Fagon, the OCM's fairness chief liable for overseeing the social and financial fairness initiatives set forth within the Marijuana Taxation and Regulation Act. (NY Hashish Insider contacted Fagon for touch upon this text, however was directed to the company's communications division.)
Earlier than the listening to, Argie had recorded a cellphone name with Fagon throughout which he defined that the company was conscious of the unlawful practices, however selected to not “begin a full crackdown” as a result of these actions “would additional injury the market. “
The workplace can be trying to “make examples” of dangerous actors by the primary quarter of 2024, Fagon mentioned on the decision, which was reviewed by NY Hashish Insider.
Fagon additionally mentioned different infractions that aren’t being addressed within the New York market, resembling deep-pocketed manufacturers providing handy offers to retailers to be able to field out smaller manufacturers.
Argie despatched the audio to his processors, who had been confused as to why huge manufacturers had been allowed to have interaction in shady enterprise practices on the expense of small gamers.
When the applying didn’t arrive, Argie despatched the registration to NY Hashish Insider, however requested to not identify the supply. Fagon's feedback had been printed in a November article a couple of prime hashish regulator outlining the company's stance towards rule breakers.
Learn extra
https://www.syracuse.com/marijuana/2024/03/terrified-to-criticize-accusations-of-hostility-and-retaliation-surface-against-nys-office-of-cannabis-management.html
