New York Creates Cannabis Showcase Events for Microbusinesses and Small Dispensaries

ALBANY, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.10113/A.11217 on Thursday, creating a licensing track that lets cannabis microbusinesses and small dispensaries sell directly to the public at farmers' markets, street fairs and other approved community gatherings through what the state's Office of Cannabis Management is calling Cannabis Showcase Events.

New Sales Channel and Regulatory Mechanics

The law directs OCM to establish an application and approval process for Cannabis Showcase Events, giving licensed microbusinesses and dispensaries a temporary retail channel outside their fixed storefronts. Supporters say the change addresses a structural disadvantage: microbusinesses, which combine small-scale cultivation and processing under a single license, typically lack the marketing budgets and real estate to compete with larger vertically integrated operators for retail shelf space and foot traffic.

"This new law gives licensed microbusinesses and dispensaries a real chance to succeed in New York's legal cannabis market," Hochul said at the signing. OCM Executive Director John Kagia said the showcase events reinforce the state's broader equity goals: "Regulated cannabis has proven to be an economic engine for New York, but the strength of this market lies in the businesses operating across the supply chain."

Constituent and Regional Impact

State Senator Michelle Hinchey, who sponsored the Senate bill, said the change targets small, often rural operators squeezed out of the traditional retail buildout: "Cannabis microbusinesses are often small farms without big marketing budgets or easy access to retail markets." Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, the Assembly sponsor, said the law is designed to reach growers and processors across the state, not just those near major dispensary corridors: "The bill ensures that NY's cannabis microbusinesses can participate in Showcase Events occurring across the state."

Accountability and Next Steps

The Office of Cannabis Management must now write the application rules and approval criteria that will determine how quickly microbusinesses can begin using the new showcase-event pathway, including what local permitting or venue-partner requirements apply. Hinchey's and Lupardo's offices say they will track OCM's rulemaking timeline and push for the first showcase-event approvals to be issued before the state's 2027 growing season, so newly licensed cultivators have a retail outlet during their first full harvest cycle.