Business of Cannabis: New York 2025 – Key Takeaways
November 13, 2025
Business of Cannabis: New York 2025 arrived at a crucial moment not just for the local cannabis industry, but for the entire state.
The sense of optimism and urgency that had swept New York City following the election of its new mayor was palpable during this year’s summit, which brought together the state’s most influential cannabis voices for a day of reflection on where New York’s industry is headed.
The one-day summit, which took place at Brooklyn’s Wythe Hotel on November 11, welcomed entrepreneurs, investors and regulators spanning the state’s entire cannabis ecosystem to focus on strategy, stability and sustainable growth.
Across the day’s packed schedule of roundtables and keynotes, speakers debated how to balance regulation with expansion, bridge legacy and licensed markets, and build lasting trust with consumers.
The tone was candid but forward-looking: New York’s cannabis industry is still finding its rhythm, but its potential is undeniable.
Key Takeaways
From early discussions on dispensary-led education and e-commerce loyalty to impassioned debates about equity, funding and federal reform, the day captured an industry learning to scale without losing its soul.
The morning opened with a series of simultaneous roundtables, ensuring every attendee had the chance to actively engage in the debates, which spanned a myriad of topics from AI integration to the future of regulation.
10:00–11:00am Roundtable Sessions
Table 1: Maximising Marketing Impact — Building Smarter Vendor Strategies When Every Dollar Counts
Facilitator: Liana Benson, Weedmaps
- Liana Benson (Weedmaps) described New York as a uniquely diverse and dynamic market, adding: “There is no market like NY; Weedmaps is about advertising to both sides of the state’s consumer market, from the locals to the tourists… interpersonal relationships and face-to-face connections… still matter most.”
Table 4: What Role Should Dispensaries Play in Education and Patient Access?
Moderator: Amy Deneson, Cannabis Media Council
This session opened with a focus on dispensaries as frontline educators in a rapidly expanding market.
- Sarah Kubik (JointCommerce) emphasised grounding conversations with new customers with three key questions: “What is your level of experience? What do you want to ingest? What is the effect you are looking for?”
- Kate Motta (Jade Stone) highlighted the need for stigma-free engagement: “From the cannacurious standpoint, allowing people to listen–because there’s still a little bit of stigma–to the customer and giving them a safe space to say the wrong thing or ask questions is important.”
Table 8: How Do You Compete on Price Without Eroding Long-Term Brand Value?
Facilitator: Shahbaaz Kara Virani, The Cannabis Collective
- Jonathan Rubin (Cannabis Benchmarks) noted the inevitability of price pressure but stressed that value can still be protected through branding and strong consumer connections: “You will not stop cost efficiency and the market’s competitive nature, but you can preserve value through branding and connecting with customers.”
October 17, 2025
No Comments
October 14, 2025
No Comments
11:00 AM–12:00pm Roundtable Sessions
Table 4: How Do Retailers Grow Numbers While Balancing Adult-Use Demand?
Moderator: Andrew Lowitz, Cannabis Collective
This discussion focused on customer retention, operational consistency and technology adoption.
- Desiree Sookoo (Sweed): “E-commerce experience is going to dictate whether customers come back… customers tend to shop and spend more online.”
- Misha Moore Buch (Misha’s Flower Shop): “Retainment of budtenders is important… people want to see the same people when they come back.”
- Andrew Lowitz (Cannabis Collective) on AI integration: “You still need to spend time with your AI agents… just like you go to the gym, you have to train it consistently.”
- Ilya Shmidt (Flowery): “The second purchase for a customer is the most important.”
Afternoon sessions
As the roundtables drew to a close, the energy shifted from intimate, fast-moving discussions to the more traditional main-stage panels that anchored the second half of the day.
These sessions brought together senior regulators, policy thinkers, community leaders and MSO executives for broader, higher-level conversations on the regulatory direction of the state, the realities of market consolidation and the cultural forces shaping consumer behaviour.
1:15–1:30 PM — The Future of Cannabis as a Commodity
Speaker: Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Policy Alliance
Nadelmann opened the afternoon with a sharp reminder that New York’s approach will shape the national landscape, urging the industry to proceed with both ambition and caution.
- New York’s actions carry national weight: “What happens in New York… affects the national picture.”
- Progress remains vulnerable, and policy can shift unpredictably: “Never underestimate the ability of this country to do something really stupid when it comes to psychoactive drugs.”
- He encouraged operators to meet the moment with clarity and responsibility: “It is incumbent that the people in this industry be smart in how they proceed.”
1:30–2:00 PM — Navigating Regulatory & Policy Flux: Can You Stay Ahead of the Rulebook?
Speakers: L. Simone Washington (OCM); David Feldman (Feldman Legal Advisors); Sam Reisman (Law360)
This panel explored the tension between New York’s equity mandates, shifting federal signals and the industry’s immediate operational needs.
- L. Simone Washington reinforced that New York’s framework is designed to put equity first, stressing the need to “demonstrate this market was created to benefit people harmed by anti-drug laws first and foremost.”
- She expressed concern that federal action may not protect equity aims, arguing: “We need descheduling, not rescheduling.”
- Feldman advocated for opening the market to outside investment, arguing that capital is essential for scale.
- Feldman outlined potential impacts of federal rescheduling, including relief from 280E, increased research opportunities and possible pathways for federally recognised medical programmes.
2:30–3:00 PM — Capturing Hearts and Minds: Converting Customers from the Illicit Market
Speakers: Fab 5 Freddy; Vladimir Bautista; Malika Bellamy; Jenny Lamboy
A grounded, culturally driven discussion on how legal operators can earn the trust of legacy consumers in one of the world’s oldest cannabis markets.
- Malika Bellamy emphasised rooting engagement in representation and authenticity: “We would not be here without the legacy market… quality, consistency and culture [lead us].”
- Vladimir Bautista highlighted the strength of long-standing consumer relationships: “For 80 years New York had a legacy market… if you open a store, you need to earn the trust of the community.”
- Bautista stressed cultural competency, education and community presence as the foundation for conversion.
- Fab 5 Freddy urged the industry to reconnect consumers with cannabis’s cultural lineage, from jazz to hip-hop, framing education as both historical and practical.
3:00–3:30 PM — Facilitating the Growth of the Market: An MSO’s View
Speakers: Brian Schinderle (SSC Advisors); Robert Sciarrone (Curaleaf)
(Reporting from Pam Chmiel, Cannabis Industry Journal)
Curaleaf’s Robert Sciarrone offered one of the day’s most detailed assessments of New York’s market conditions, reflecting on competition, consolidation and the path toward stability.
- Sciarrone contrasted today’s reality with the investor exuberance of 2019, arguing that “California’s day is over.”
- He admitted that Curaleaf had to rebuild credibility, describing the company’s transformation as a “complete 180… started with our efforts in New York.”
- He welcomed New York’s upcoming traceability system as “a step in the right direction… [to] prevent giving people a free swing in the market.”
- Sciarrone warned that hemp-derived products are capturing new consumers first, stressing: “The hemp channel is stealing our new customers.”
- He predicted long-term price compression and urged operators to plan for a more competitive, disciplined environment.
Search
RECENT PRESS RELEASES
Related Post
