Here’s the statement via Linked In
We have made the difficult decision to cease publication of NYCI and wrap up hosting events at the end of October.
For almost three years, NYCI has served as an essential resource for those entering the New York cannabis industry. I’m immensely proud of the work that Sean Teehan and our small team of freelancers (in particular Wesley Parnell and Mel Hyman) have been able to accomplish during the rollout of the state’s marketplace, including reporting that led to policy changes, exposed bad actors and shady practices, promoted government transparency, prompted resignations and administrative leaves, and uplifted underrepresented and underserved voices.
From the market’s onset, there was a desperate need for unbiased and accurate information about the rollout, the regulators, the major players, and the progress of the MRTA’s promise. I believe we served that need.
However, like many of you who have suffered financially due to the market’s rollout, NY Cannabis Insider is no different – it’s tough to maintain a publication that supports itself with subscriptions and ads when so few people have the money to subscribe or advertise. I often joked about how, with each new story we published documenting how bad things were going in New York, we might have been digging our own grave – shooing folks away from investing into the industry.
Even if that was the case, I don’t regret it. NYCI has had a heck of a run, and along the way, I was able to meet some remarkable and inspiring people who always reminded me why I chose a career in journalism – to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
So, I want to close by saying thank you – thank you to our sources who trusted us to tell their stories honestly and openly; thank you to our contributors who helped supplement our reporting with opinions, hot takes and expert insights; thank you to our conference and meetup attendees who always came ready to gossip and party; and thank you to our subscribers, supporters and champions who helped keep us going for as long as we did.
Some big personal thank you’s to:
Joe Rossi, Katie Neer, Kristin Jordan, Colin Decker, Nikki Lawley, Jeffrey Hoffman, Jon Purow, Jordan Isenstadt, Sarah Stenuf, Ngiste Abebe, Thomas Spanos, Benjamin Rattner, John Kagia, Jeremy Cooney, Britni Tantalo, MBA, Jayson Tantalo, Mack Hueber, Paula Collins, Jeremy Rivera, Matt Leonardo, Michael Doyle, Lindsay Wickham, Lindsay Marlenga
As for me – I’ll be starting tomorrow as managing editor at New York Focus, a nonprofit newsroom with the sole mission of investigating power in the Empire State (good fit, right?). Sign up for the newsletter here, no subscription or paywalls: https://lnkd.in/e6wpSBjC
