After Ordering a Record Cannabis Recall, N.Y. Regulators Go Quiet
- New York regulators announced the largest cannabis product recall in the state's history due to unlicensed products valued at over $30 million entering dispensaries through illegal deals with Omnium Health.
- Despite three days passing since the announcement, no official guidance has been provided on how the recall will be executed, causing confusion and safety concerns within the industry.
- Industry experts warn that delays and lack of transparency could harm consumer trust and undermine the progress of cannabis legalization in New York.
- The Office of Cannabis Management stated that it is carefully considering the recall's impact before taking action, aiming to avoid negative effects on consumers and dispensaries.
Earlier this week, regulators in New York announced the largest recall of cannabis products in the state’s short history of legalization.
Three days have passed. Yet there has been no official notice about how the recall affects more than $30 million worth of cannabis products that regulators said were slipped into dispensaries by companies without the proper licensing. The backdoor channel was made possible by illegal arrangements made with Omnium Health, one of the state’s largest makers of cannabis goods.
State regulators do not have a deadline to start the recall. But some experts in the cannabis industry say that officials are taking too long to take the action, which has stirred confusion in the industry, risked the safety of consumers and could renew doubts about legalization all together.
“The unknown of what’s coming out of Omnium is a headline or two away from causing a loss of consumer trust in this industry,” Mack Hueber, the president of the Empire Cannabis Manufacturers Alliance, a state trade association, said in an interview. “And if that happens, everything that New York has been building could go away very quickly.”
The Office of Cannabis Management did not immediately respond to questions from The Times about the recall. In a LinkedIn post, Felicia A.B. Reid, the acting executive director, said the agency had carefully built its case against Omnium to avoid unintended consequences for consumers and dispensaries.
“O.C.M. does not take action against Omnium impulsively,” she said, adding that “to move without considering short- and long-term impact would be woefully shortsighted.”
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