Central NY business files lawsuit accusing New York cannabis office of bias against white men

Article here. Excerpt:

'A Central New York business owned by a white man has filed a lawsuit against New York’s cannabis management agency accusing it of racial and gender bias.

The business, Valencia AG of Jamesville, claims the “social and economic equity” provisions in the state’s licensing of cannabis businesses violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause by giving preference to women and people of color. The lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Syracuse, names the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, its director and its board members as defendants.

Valencia was recently ranked at number 2,042 in a state cannabis office list of 2,232 potential applicants, behind many businesses who qualified under the social equity provisions. There are roughly 1,800 social equity applicants ranked higher on what was supposed to be a “randomized” list, the lawsuit notes. The agency in fact gave extra weight to social equity applicants in the process, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also calls attention to a provision in the cannabis office regulations that sets a goal that at least 50% of business licenses should be awarded to social equity applicants, defined primarily as minority- or women-owned companies. It also cites provisions that set lower licensing fees for those who qualify as social equity applicants.

“The defendants designed and implemented regulations and procedures that have favored and given preference to selected races and genders and have discriminated against any person who is a white man,” the lawsuit says.'