The Times Union writes
The Cannabis Farmers Alliance says the rollout of the retail market “has been disastrous” for participants at all levels of the industry.
ALBANY — A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of the Cannabis Farmers Alliance accuses the state Office of Cannabis Management and Cannabis Control Board of pushing growers with small operations to the brink of financial ruin as their industry faces potential collapse.
cannabis-farmers-alliance-v-new-york-complaint-supreme-courtThe lawsuit alleges that the “OCM’S rollout of legalized cannabis in New York has been disastrous” and that regulators ignored public concerns about its rules that have handicapped the industry’s early stakeholders, many of whom leveraged nearly all of their assets to invest in a share of the nascent market.
Despite licensed growers’ harvested products being ready for sale, a lack of sufficient retailers has contributed to their financial struggles while an illicit marketplace has boomed across the state over the past three years, even with increased enforcement efforts.
The goal had been for cannabis growers and state regulators to “move in lockstep. However, that is far from the case,” according to the lawsuit.
The distress of the farmers is not unknown to state cannabis regulators, who have previously learned of their troubles during numerous public hearings over the past several years. Many have also described how their mental health has been harmed by their stress that was exacerbated by the bungled rollout.
Read more
Representing lawyer is
Dean began his career at Clifford Chance in New York City, before moving to Boston where he litigated at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and then Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault. Dean was also Assistant General Counsel to Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s leading provider of dialysis products and services, and law clerk for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Dean is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Syracuse University College of Law, teaching courses in E-Discovery; as well as Mediation Skills. Dean has extensive expertise in the discovery of electronically stored information, and has taught numerous seminars on the topic, including at: the annual meeting of the Judiciary for the Fifth Judicial District, State of New York (September 2015); the Annual Meeting of the County Attorneys Association for the State of New York (May 2016); a national webinar for the Federal Bar Association (August 2016); the American Bar Association Section of Alternative Dispute Resolution’s Annual Conference in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022; and most recently a NYSBA webinar on E-Discovery basics.
