Lawyer Sean McGowan has posted the following information to Linked In
New NY OCM FAQ for Adult-Use Application Queues
The OCM released an updated FAQ clarifying the current status of adult-use license application queues and how reviews are progressing. Here’s a summary:
🔹 Five queues were created from the 6,790 applications submitted between Oct 4–Dec 18, 2023:
• November Retail & Microbusiness
• December Cultivator
• December Processor
• December Distributor
• December Retail & Microbusiness
📍 Queue position = review order, not license order.
📍 Applications with proof of location before Nov 17 → November Queue.
📍 Later filings or applications without site control → December Queues.
Current status (as of Nov. 2025):
✅ 722 licenses issued
✅ 241 provisional licenses granted
⚙️ 258 November Queue applications still under review
🚫 382 applications closed
OCM is still completing the November Queue before moving to the December Retail & Microbusiness Queue. Progress on the December Queue remains delayed due to ongoing litigation (Organic Blooms LLC v. CCB), which blocks review of applications submitted without proof of site control (most of the queue).
December Queue Status at a Glance
OCM is not yet reviewing the December Retail & Microbusiness Queue.
Litigation prevents review of December applications without site control.
No timeline is available for December Queue review; OCM will continue reviewing November applications until litigation is resolved.
Additional Key Updates:
CAURD reviews continue (306 final; 233 provisional).
Conditional cultivator/processor transitions are nearly complete.
Processor Type 3 – Branding Only licenses remain open.
Applicants cannot amend December Queue applications until OCM begins review.
Vertical expansion allowed:
• Cultivators may apply for processor licenses (for their own products).
• Processors may apply for distributor licenses (for their own products).
Copy of the FAQ is below.
