The disagreements between the two groups have centered around how minority communities will benefit from legalization and what role, if any, the medical marijuana providers will have in launching recreational use. The providers want to have medical and recreational dispensaries in the same location, and they want to continue as vertically integrated operators—selling the product they grow, as most of them do now.



In the past, advocates have felt that those practices would give the providers an unfair advantage over minority entrepreneurs just getting into the recreational market. Although they are still working out details, and waiting to hear what the governor's and the legislature's positions will be, the two sides appear to be more or less on the same page.

The talks picked up last year after the governor's bill was taken out of the budget, signaling its likely defeat. This year, advocates and businesses are once again hoping to see a cannabis bill cross the finish line as part of the overall budget, which makes it easier for Democrats from moderate or conservative districts to support it.

"It's a 180-degree turn from where we were 12 months ago," said Katie Neer, chair of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, and head of government affairs for Acreage Holdings, a major cannabis player. "What we're trying to do is make sense of a bunch of different interests that don't have to contradict one another. We believe you can set up a cannabis industry in New York that's inclusive, diverse and competitive."