New York Cannabis Control Board (CCC) earlier this month awarded 99 conditional adult retail edition retail licenses after a month-long legal hurdle that prolonged the deal.

CCC Chair Tremaine Wright was excited after the move brought the total of cannabis Permits nationwide to 165.

“This might be one of the happiest reunions we have all year,” she said at the time. “A little joy in this room. That is nice.”

The licenses granted included 13 applicants from Brooklyn, Central New York, Western New York and the Mid-Hudson regions. A laboratory in Rochester also received approval.

According to a local news outlet, four of those licenses were given to people with previous cannabis convictionsmarking the first time such licenses were granted nationwide.

The New York City cannabis regulator advanced the Seeding Opportunity Initiative in July by approving the final regulations for adult conditional retail expenditure licenses (CAURD). The initiative sought to have the state’s first legal marijuana stores for cannabis use by those most affected by cannabis prohibition enforcement and those with strong business backgrounds.

See also: EXCLUSIVE: Lawmakers make the case for cannabis: “This is a legitimate business. It’s about time we start treating it as such.

Critics express concerns

Now that the state’s recreational market is up and running, some of the state’s top officials and legislators have expressed concern that the Office of Cannabis Management and the State Cannabis Control Board are giving those convicted of drug crimes priority over disabled military veterans in the process have granted the allocation of cannabis Pharmacy Licenses, reported New York Post.

Carmine FioreChairman of the Cannabis Association of New York’s Veterans Committee and a disabled Army veteran, spoke out against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration.

“The whole veteran community is in turmoil,” Fiore said. “Only criminal applicants were allowed to…