Leafly (NASDAQ: LFLY), a leading cannabis discovery platform and trusted educational resource, is bolstering its support for New York’s legal cannabis market through a new partnership with the New York Cannabis Retail Association (NYCRA). This non-profit coalition of New York dispensary owners, united under the motto ‘Collaboration Over Competition,’ seeks to foster a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive cannabis industry.
The collaboration will involve sponsoring a series of industry events throughout 2024 and launching marketing initiatives aimed at enhancing New Yorkers’ awareness of the benefits of purchasing legal, local cannabis. By buying from licensed dispensaries, New Yorkers can support their local economy, enjoy cannabis that is grown, cultivated, tested, and sold within the state, and contribute to job creation and community funding through tax revenues.
Yoko Miyashita, CEO of Leafly, highlights the challenges faced by legal cannabis retailers in New York, where the presence of unlicensed operators creates unfair competition and confusion for consumers. “The operating environment for legal cannabis retailers in the Empire State has been challenging, and the proliferation of unlicensed retailers undermines fair competition and consumer safety,” says Miyashita. “Retailers deserve a fair marketplace, and New Yorkers deserve access to safe products and reliable information.”
NYCRA was co-founded by Jayson Tantalo, Brittni Tantalo, and Coss Marte, who hold New York Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries (CAURD) licenses. The organization provides a private network for dispensary owners to share resources as they enter the legal market.
Jayson Tantalo, co-founder and Vice President of Operations at NYCRA, emphasizes the importance of supporting licensed dispensaries. “When New Yorkers choose licensed dispensaries, they are not only ensuring they know what they are consuming but also directly supporting their community,” says Tantalo. “We are committed to representing legal cannabis accurately in New York and are thrilled to partner with Leafly to boost community awareness.”
