Aaron Ghitelman’s Post

The New York cannabis market is in disarray, flooded with over 2,500 trap shops posing as cafes, selling subpar, untested, and overpriced products. My journey within New York's cannabis industry has been incredibly eye-opening and humbling. The state's rich diversity and vibrancy reflect the inclusivity that America stands for. Nonetheless, the current state of the cannabis market is concerning. These trap shops cunningly pass themselves off as art galleries, cafes, and clothing stores, making regulation daunting. The legacy market is thriving, operating openly without accountability. It's reminiscent of the "Gangs of New York" scenes, with everyone vying for a share of the pie. I'm enthusiastic to hear your thoughts on the future of New York's cannabis industry. How do you envision its development? Can it be saved? Is it too late? Will legal weed ever compete with legacy? Will New York be another Los Angeles? How can we collaborate to establish a more resilient and responsible cannabis market in the Empire State? Let me know your thoughts below.

As we wind down the year, I want to quickly reflect on all that Okay Cannabis Dispensary has accomplished in 2023. Our mighty team is responsible for many important firsts in the cannabis industry, such as:   - OKAY is the first cannabis operator in the world to have a loyalty rewards program that is integrated with an entire restaurant and hospitality group, which, over time, will be a significant sales driver at all three OKAY locations. - The OKAY and West Town Bakery mashup in Wheeling is the nation’s first dispensary with an attached bar, restaurant, and consumption lounge. - The Wheeling Consumption Lounge is the first such lounge in the world to be listed on OpenTable. - After just a few months of operations in Wheeling, we opened our West Town location, and this store has exceeded our expectations. - OKAY and West Town Bakery launched the first take-and-bake mixes in the nation. - OKAY is one of the only independent social equity operators to open multiple stores in just over a year. - OKAY’s third store in Evanston will open in January 2024, the first social equity store to pay into the city’s reparations program. I am most proud of the environment we have built. Most dispensaries are very transactional. It’s about getting people in and out fast. Many people report feeling intimidated by this model and ultimately being turned off entirely. This is where OKAY is distinct. We follow all the laws on security and management without creating a cold and intimidating environment. Our frame is on hospitality, throughout the entire customer experience. We want people to feel welcome, comfortable, and taken care of. We want people to be excited about coming in, whether it's their 1st or 100th visit. Comfort and ease breed loyalty, and loyalty will inherently expand our customer base. Knowing this, we need to reach cannabis connoisseurs and the canna-curious and meet each customer segment where they are at, and that is what we plan to do in 2024. Onward! Locations: 781 N Milwaukee - Wheeling 1914 W Chicago - Chicago 100 Chicago - Evanston (coming in January 2024)

Rao’s is the real deal. They even sell a phenomenal garlic and onion free version for sensitive tummies. Rao’s proves that in any category there can be premium and luxury offerings. It also proves that the gems in a category tend to be developed by purists and entrepreneurs who have a unique passion and originality that big consumer goods corporations can never match. Despite assurances from the corporate acquirer, the track record on making sure the great attributes of a product such as Rao’s remain intact is spotty, at best. Let’s hope. #luxuryexperience #luxurybrands #lvmh #luxurygoods

Do you want to know where to buy legal cannabis in D.C.? Here’s the map of retailers, manufacturers, and cultivators in the district:  https://lnkd.in/exS568Ab #CannabisNews #CannabisLaw #KinnerMcGowan

I try to stay national in scope in my musings so as not to seem too parochial. Sometimes, however, I can’t help but focus on New York State. Not because it is likely to be one of the largest markets in the country, or its 50 million (pre-Covid) tourists many of whom will want to purchase some legal weed while in town. or it’s “Capital of the World” rep, but rather because of how badly NYS has botched the rollout of compliant cannabis # #. I’m mean really, really badly. Check out the article below on NYC retail. First the Cultivators: Recall that it has been legal to consume and grow MJ (with a conditional license) for TWO years. But the first retail store just opened in December 2022!! So what happened with Croptober past? NOTHING. It is sitting in garbage bags in sheds throughout the State. All that hard work and capital investment bagged up doing nothng. Nada. Now the Processors…what Processors? Since the first crop was just pulled, why spend the dough to build out a vape rig if there is no legal product to sell retail. And now that Cultivatiors are up and running, they really need Processors to distille and extract a freezable medium for later further processing into edibles, vapes and beverage. It’s really the only option. But it’s not happening either. Then there are Retailers: Like two of them. And the State really wants to help out, even act as the master lessor of the real estate, but if it could only find the $200,000,000 it budgeted for the program. So social equity first movers, non-for-profits, and those with arrest records for weed, have a Sophie’s Choce - put up he clams now outside of the Program, or wait for the State to get it together. Which would you do? In the meantime there is an “estimated” 1,400 non-compliant retail sellers in NYC alone according to the government. 1,400! There are that many in Brooklyn alone methinks. Of course, it will ultimately work out in the end as the demand for pot is definitely there. But hopefully before the end of days. So maybe NYS should get out of its own way, put a bit more “market” in the weed market, and let a 1,000 blossoms bloom!! #canbabis #realestate #NewYorkState #SweetLeafMadison https://flip.it/OP3Yhk

As the legal cannabis industry navigates new waters, consumption events will increase in popularity and attention. Safety will drive reputation of event producers and likely be a key initiative for regulators. (No one wants to be that entity that gets bad press from over zealous conservative spinsters.) Looking forward to see another aspect of legal cannabis take shape as the industry starts to mature. Thanks to Madeline Scanlon for starting to get the (needed) conversation going. #cannabisindustry

The power of merging a truly custom site and ecommerce design / development to highlight the uniqueness of an immersive brand, together with the thoughtful execution of a conversion-focused user experience to drive the highest value and results from the digital platform as well as the comprehensive ongoing Search Engine Optimization Marketing Campaign. This is how you truly empower and drive success to dispensaries. Share your thoughts below - cant wait for all the success that is to come for this client! #cannabis #cannabismarketing

This article highlights a few of the major changes made by 2023 Wis. Act 73, an overhaul of Wis. Stat. chapter 125, Wisconsin’s alcohol-regulation statutes. Learn more about the act’s effects on three-tier restrictions, contract manufacturing, full-service retail privileges, and regulation of venues. ✏️Collin Schaefer is a partner at Ogden Glazer + Schaefer, Cedarburg, practicing in alcohol regulation, emerging companies and venture capital, and intellectual property. #wisconsinlawyer #wisconsinlaw #alcohollaw

Judge Gilliland issued rulings in Lashify, Inc. v. Qingdao Hollyren Cosmetics Co., Ltd., 6:22-cv-00776-ADA-DTG. Although some issues are specific to the facts of this case, two have broader applicability. First, "The Court GRANTS Lashify's request for ESI discovery with modifications." The OGP has little guidance about seeking ESI, but I have frequently seen the Court grant ESI discovery for good cause. Second, "The Court DENIES Lashify's request for further reduction of invalidity theories." This just serves as another datapoint of what won't work for contention reduction.

The M&S v Aldi snow globe gin bottle case raises a number of interesting points around design protection and enforcement which have been highlighted by my colleagues Jeremy Hertzog and Peter Nunn here, including the comparison with the recent trade mark decision involving Thatchers and Aldi. Look forward to discussing these issues more at our Annual IP seminar on 14 March. #IPlaw