New York’s top cannabis regulator, Tremaine Wright, says she won’t step down after Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget eliminated her $229,000 salary, according to Spectrum News.

Wright, who was appointed in 2021, will now receive only a per-diem stipend like other board members. She emphasized that her commitment to shaping policy outweighs any paycheck and denied tensions with the governor’s office. The move aligns the Cannabis Control Board with other unpaid state boards.

Meanwhile, the Office of Cannabis Management will receive $5 million to expand enforcement staffing, as efforts continue to stabilize the industry. A controversial proposal to use cannabis odor as probable cause for testing was rejected.