New York’s Cannabis Control Board has issued final rules for Cannabis Showcase Events and they take effect immediately.
The Cannabis Showcase Event regulations cover the following:
- Event Permit Eligibility and Application Process
- Event Operations
- Event Permit Limitations
- Event Vendors
As we mentioned in a previous legal alert, Cannabis Showcase Events first got off the ground in 2023 as the state struggled to implement regulations surrounding 2021’s Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act, which legalized adult-use marijuana in the state. The protracted rollout of the program meant legal retailers were in short supply and marijuana growers had few options to sell their product to state residents. The showcases allow for the sale of various cannabis and cannabinoid hemp products, cannabis paraphernalia, stationary, gifts, or other minor branded merchandise approved by the Office of Cannabis Management.
The program ended on Jan. 1, 2024, but was reinstituted by lawmakers in 2025 and extended indefinitely to expand market opportunities for cannabis growers, processors and retailers.
Here are key takeaways from the new regulations:
Event Permit Eligibility and Application Process
A cannabis showcase event must be located at a pop-up location, farmers’ market or public market. It can last no longer than 14 consecutive days, or more than 45 days in a calendar year.
Permits will only be issued to adult-use retailers and they must be partnered with at least one licensed cultivator and at least one licensed processor. Cultivators, processors and dispensers can participate in more than one event at a time. Permittees can host no more than two events at a time, and each event must have its own permit.
Permit fees are the following:
- $300 for an event no more than three days
- $550 for an event lasting four to seven days
- $800 for an event lasting eight to 14 days
Permit applicants that qualify as social and economic equity licensees qualify for 50 percent off the fees.
Applications must be received at least 45 days before the event, with a good cause exception. Applicants will have 15 days to cure any deficiencies in their application.
Event Operations
Cannabis showcase events cannot be located:
- Within a 200-foot radius of a licensed adult-use cannabis retailer’s location, unless it is the permittee’s location
- On the same road and within 200 feet of a house of worship
- On the same road and within 500 feet of a school or public youth facility
The permittee must place the permit, license and possession and purchase limits in a conspicuous location, and all authorized licensees must post their license for all to see.
Any item for sale must display a price tag, sign or placard stating the item’s price and total cost to the consumer, including taxes. No items can be given away.
Please note that retail sales of adult use cannabis products at a cannabis showcase event may only be conducted by the permittee named on the event permit. Any other authorized licensee participating in the event may display or “showcase” products but may not engage in direct or indirect sales activity.
Samples of cannabis products must be displayed in secure and locked cases. They can be removed for inspection, but not on-site consumption.
If a Registered Organization with Dispensing (ROD) is the holder of the permit, the ROD is required to maintain a minimum of 40 percent of available shelf space for products from licensees that are not RODs. RODs are typically large, established medical cannabis organizations that have been approved to transition into the adult-use market, allowing them to dispense both medical and adult-use products.
Only those age 21 and over can sell or purchase at the event, and the following cannot be sold:
- Tobacco or products that contain tobacco or nicotine
- Alcohol
- Items attractive to children, such as candy, toys and games
- Branded items not consistent with the permittee or licensee
Event Permit Limitations
Permittees must post signage at the event that reads “ON-SITE CONSUMPTION OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS IS PROHIBITED.” No one is allowed to consume cannabis on site.
It is important to note, a cannabis showcase event permit is not required at a function such as a cannabis trade show, conference, industry networking event or exhibition where cannabis is not being sold or given away.
Event Vendors
The permittee is also allowed to contract with:
- Food and beverage vendors (vendors must hold permits and licenses required by the appropriate local municipalities and state and federal authorities and must comply with all public health laws);
- Musical acts, musicians or disc jockeys to play music. Recorded music may also be played;
- Vendors that conduct holistic educational demonstrations and exhibitions, such as yoga, massage therapy and meditation, provided they are registered with the appropriate state authority;
- Arts and crafts vendors demonstrating activities such as painting, pottery, fiber arts and paper crafts;
- Vendors that conduct culinary demonstrations which include food, non-alcoholic beverages or other consumables;
- Vendors that conduct book or literary presentations or exhibitions; and
- Vendors that conduct theatrical presentations or exhibitions.
Harris Beach Murtha’s Cannabis Industry Team represents many of the leading cannabis, hemp and CBD companies, including large multi-state operators, start-ups, growers, registered medical marijuana organizations and non-plant-touching businesses. If you need assistance with a Cannabis Showcase, Event, please reach out to attorney Meaghan T. Feenan at (518) 701-2742 and mfeenan@harrisbeachmurtha.com and William M. X. Wolfe at (315) 214-2059 and wwolfe@harrisbeachmurtha.com, or the Harris Beach Murtha attorney with whom you most frequently work.
This alert is not a substitute for advice of counsel on specific legal issues.
Harris Beach Murtha’s lawyers and consultants practice from offices throughout Connecticut in Bantam, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford; New York State in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, New York City, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Long Island and White Plains; as well as in Boston, Massachusetts, and Newark, New Jersey.