New York Launches the Cannabis Compliance Training and Mentorship Program

Updated October 25, 2022

Dustin M. Dorsino and Jeffrey B. Scheer - Bond, Schoeneck & King

Update: The OCM recently posted information about the Program on its website, including notes about eligibility and the application process. In order to apply for the Program, applicants must first fill out an initial interest form. Within 24 hours after an applicant's submission of this form, the applicant will receive an email containing the applicant's unique identification number and a link to the Program's written application section. Following the submission and evaluation of all final applications, the OCM will reach out to qualifying applicants for live, video conference interviews.

On October 13, New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced the creation of the Cannabis Compliance Training and Mentorship Program (the Program), a mentorship program focused on educating and training New York’s future cannabis growers and processors. The Program’s application period opens on October 20 and closes on November 3.

What is the Program?

The Program will consist of a 10-week series (Nov. 2022 to Feb. 2023) of focused webinars covering a range of topics broadly related to cultivating and processing cannabis in New York, including specific skills such as complying with various NYS cannabis regulations and managing an agribusiness. SUNY Morrisville will host the webinars, which will be recorded and made available to participants to view on demand. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to attend mentoring sessions with current adult-use cannabis cultivators and processors. The Program is intended to help create a pathway to industry licensure for young cannabis entrepreneurs.

Who is Eligible? 

The OCM is expected to select 200-250 applicants to participate in the Program. In order to apply for the Program, applicants must:

1. Be at least 18 years old;
2. Have a valid, government-issued photo ID;
3. Demonstrate a sincere interest in a career in cultivating and/or processing cannabis and becoming licensed to do so in New York; and
4. Have experience in agriculture, cultivating traditional crops and processing food and beverage products in regulated markets, including but not limited to:
   1. Ownership or management of or employment in a commercial farm business, community-supported agricultural organization or food and beverage processing establishment or distributor;
   2. Participation in a farming internship or apprenticeship or a farm training or incubator program; or
   3. A two- or four-year degree in a relevant field of study.

Applications will be scored based on a range of objective criteria and only the highest scoring applicants will be eligible to interview for the Program.

Bond’s cannabis attorneys continue to closely monitor developments to the rules and regulations surrounding New York’s cannabis industry. For questions about the information provided above or about the cannabis industry in general, please contact Dustin M. Dorsino, Jeffrey B. Scheer or the Bond attorney with whom you are regularly in contact

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