Munkey Si, Monkey Do
Download MP3Welcome to joint session, Diverse Voices in New York State Cannabis, where you'll hear from policy makers, legislators, thought leaders, licensees, advocates, and others interested in the state of the New York cannabis market. In this episode, I speak with business leader Vladimir Bautista, co founder and managing member of Happy Monkey LLC, an internationally known New York City lifestyle company. Vladimir is a speaker that is highly in demand across the globe, and on this episode, we'll understand why. In our licensee highlight segment, we speak with two licensed applicants who are also on the board of the Latino Cannabis Association. Sandra Chaquez and Indira Mojica are entrepreneurs who will share some common sense wisdom with the state.
Speaker 1:But first, let's take a spin around the news. This fall, a second adult measure will be on the ballot in The US. South Dakota will now join Florida and having voters weigh in on adult use cannabis this November. The US House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the fiscal year 2025 military veterans affairs appropriations bill that ensures veterans can participate in state approved medical marijuana programs according to a house summary of the amendment by lifting the current directive that prevents VA medical facility staff from recommending making referrals or completing forms and registering veterans for participation in state approved marijuana programs. Following the November 2023 voter approval of adult use cannabis, an Ohio committee approved regulations to allow the state's medical cannabis shops to also sell adult use cannabis as soon as this month.
Speaker 1:Broader licensing is forthcoming, but governor Mike DeWine and perhaps a nod to the New York experience urged lawmakers and regulators to get sales going to ensure an unlicensed market doesn't take root in the gap between when voters approve the adult use and the start of regulated sales. In New York, cannabis events are expected to return after legislation passed that will create a new permit for cannabis showcases. Regulators have fielded many requests to bring back cannabis grower showcases, which ended in December. The Office of Cannabis Management has a new short term leader. Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she has appointed Felicia Reid, a deputy commissioner at the Office of Children and Family Services as the Office of Cannabis Management's executive deputy director and acting executive director.
Speaker 1:Hochul's announcement of this do over stated that placing Reid, along with two other appointments at OCN, put in place a leadership team that will implement changes to end the bottleneck of licensed applicants, improve communications with applicants and licensees, and reaffirm the agency's commitment to the social equity goals codified in the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. I do sincerely wish them well. At the most recent New York State Cannabis Control Board meeting on June 11, the board approved final rules that allow New York adults to grow cannabis at home. We'll add links to these rules in the show notes. Meanwhile, downstate, New York City announced that mayor Adams' operation padlock to protect has so far resulted in the ceiling of about 350 shops.
Speaker 1:New York City's shirted cannabis shops are fighting back by filing a federal class action lawsuit in the Southern District Of New York, and remarkably, OCM is not a defendant. The more than two dozen shops that have joined the suit claim these closures are unconstitutional. Finally, the biggest news in the last two weeks came from the city's Rosalind Adams. Adams reported that OCM officials had repeatedly raised alarms with governor Hochul's team about the Hochul Dazni deal with private equity firm Chicago Atlantic. The city further reported that the contract Chicago Atlantic was offering to licensees, according to state legislators and financial experts who reviewed it, smacked the predatory lending by loading startup retail operators with steep cost and strict payment terms that could quickly lead them to default.
Speaker 1:The details of the agreement revealed that the state had guaranteed the company a 15% return on its investment even if dispensary owners failed, a nearly risk free proposition. In response to this article, state senators Liz Krueger and Gustavo Rivera call for an end to Chicago Atlantic loans and an investigation by the state's inspector general's office. I wanna thank Cannabis Wire for the news. In addition to that, I'd like to point out that you can now get 30% off a subscription to Cannabis Wire by going to cannabiswire.com and using discount code c w joint session. That's discount code c w joint session.
Speaker 1:Our first guest in this episode is CEO of Happy Monkey, Vladimir Bautista. Vladimir was born and raised in Hamilton Heights, New York, and is today one of the most recognized leaders in the cannabis space. Welcome, Vlad.
Speaker 2:Tonight, it's a pleasure to meet you, Herb. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:No. Well, thank you for making the time. Now I see on your on your website, it says about Happy Monkey that it's an internationally known New York City lifestyle company that is synonymous with cannabis culture. Now that's a mouthful. Can you just sort of basically describe what that means to you?
Speaker 2:The way that I would describe it is that my North Star and the company's North Star is intellectual property. So we started eight years ago first, doing events. We had a private member's lounge, close to Times Square, then we went into media. So then we started a podcast also, a newsletter turned into an e magazine, then we went into merchandise, then we went into clothing, also do public speaking, have spoken in every conference in the country, that it said talk in Mexico, just recently did a a panel in Barcelona, high CBC, and next month, I'm going to London.
Speaker 1:Oh, amazing.
Speaker 2:So the last the last thing that we're adding to this omnichannabis lifestyle company is cannabis retail. So I hope that sums it up where we represent the cannabis lifestyle of New York, and then all these other things are the different branches of the North Star, which is the intellectual property.
Speaker 1:No. That's a great explanation. Can you describe what it was like to create that first place for cannabis consumers to gather, you know, and consume jointly, pardon the pun?
Speaker 2:It's it's funny because it just started because, my partner, Ramon Reyes, went to Holland, Amsterdam, and, he really is a little bit of an introvert. He's more the creative.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And, he sat down at one of those cafes. I think it was the Bulldog or something like that, and he really had an amazing experience where he got to smoke the peace pipe with people from all over the world and really connect through this through this cannabis plant. And in no other circumstance, would he be talking to these people from all over the world? So he knew that me and my team had, you know, the the resources and the capabilities of doing something like that here. So when he first told me, I said, you must be out of your rabbit mind.
Speaker 2:You know, this doesn't really sound feasible, but we already had my my other partners had a recording studio there, and, we already had access to the cannabis. I said, you know what? We have the the space. We have the cannabis. Let's do one event and see what happens, and, it went really well.
Speaker 2:Then we started doing it once a month, then once a week, then seven days a week, about two, three hundred people a night. So in, like, 2019, Forbes called us to Studio fifty four cannabis, and that's when we started realizing that even though cannabis wasn't legal, we were on to something bigger than just Mhmm. Legalizing cannabis and something bigger than that space. It was a movement, and we had to really find a way to encompass that. We couldn't brand cannabis.
Speaker 2:Cannabis wasn't legal, so we said, you know what? Nobody is truly representing the New York cannabis lifestyle, and that's what we that's how we trademarked it.
Speaker 1:What year are you talking about at this point?
Speaker 2:So we started it about 2016, '20 '17.
Speaker 1:Okay. And that was shortly after the the trip to Mecca to the Mecca Of Cannabis in Amsterdam?
Speaker 2:Correct. My partner went there, and that created the inspiration. And then, I've been in the in the industry in cannabis for, like, twenty five years, so we already had a lot of experience. You know? So now we just, you know, we had a place to basically apply it all, which was the lounge.
Speaker 1:Alright. Well, that's great. And, you know, it leads me to my next question, which is really, you know, in your opinion, why is it important to have legacy operators and those that were disproportionately impacted, you know, communities that were overpoliced? Why is it important to have them lead the way in this new legal industry?
Speaker 2:Well, it's a combination of things. First of all, you know, we are the victims of the war on drugs, on the failed war on drugs where so many communities got, you know, ravaged by over policing and
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Also, you know, families were broken apart. People were deported. People got killed. People were arrested. And that's how we built this $6,000,000,000 industry on the backs of marginalized people in, you know, in in urban communities.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. So now that it's legal, it's only right that you give people not a gift, but you give people the opportunity to participate in this market. And when it comes to how it benefits the industry as a whole, I think that it gets overlooked, the fact that the cannabis industry has been over was illicit for, like, eighty years. Mhmm. And there is a lot of knowledge, a lot of different perspectives about the plant and, a lot of different experience that now, instead of being ostracized like other states have done gets absorbed by the industry?
Speaker 2:Because we've seen that a lot of CPG people try to cross over and bring their talents to cannabis and it doesn't work, and I'm gonna tell you
Speaker 1:what You said c CPG? What what is that?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Like, what I mean, like, people like that used to sell Clorox or Pepsi and things that the cannabis is the same thing, and, it's not. And it doesn't usually work the same because just as much as the the people that were sacrificing their lives to medicate their community were accustomed to this for eighty years, the consumer was accustomed to dealing with that for eighty years. So you can't get the consumer to completely adapt to the legal market without bringing some of that knowledge with you, bringing some of that trust with you when it comes to the legal market. So I think it does right for all the wrongs that the war on drugs did, and I think it makes the industry more robust and makes it much more fully optimal to reach its maximum capacity.
Speaker 1:And that is one of the things that you hear, you know, about keeping it authentic, and and I I think that's what you're referring to.
Speaker 2:Correct. But I think I I just mentioned it the way that I did, Herb, because I think people just think about it from, like, a insider, you know, legacy perspective, but the consumer Mhmm. Was part of that for eighty years also, and you can't just turn that switch off. But when you give people like myself and other people opportunities to cross over, you bring that trust and you bring those consumers and you bring that knowledge over to the legal industry, which ultimately helps everybody, politics, corporate culture, the full gamut.
Speaker 1:Right. So, you know, and that actually, again, perfectly sort of leads into my next question. I've heard you speak about consumer education, right, and and making sure that communities are aware of the benefits of supporting, you know, now supporting their local licensed dispensaries. So how do you go about, you know, getting that message out, educating consumers, especially when it comes, potentially to new consumers?
Speaker 2:I appreciate, you know, the enforcement and everything that's happening, but that's just one aspect of how we get this industry fully optimal. The other one is education and, you know, through things like this, like, through your podcast, through my podcast, through newsletters, through social media, through just holding educational events, but not just between 96 and Wall Street like we've seen in the past, but all throughout the state Mhmm. You help people understand that it's bigger than just consuming cannabis. The numbers state that crime goes down. The numbers state that opioid use goes down.
Speaker 2:The the way that it's structured in New York, forty percent of the taxes go back to the communities most impacted the by the war on drugs. Four percent go to the immediate community where the dispensaries operating at. So now when you put all this in perspective as far as, like, how it's lab tested and the medicinal benefits, the economic benefits, the societal benefits, now people look at a win for a legal dispensary, it's a win for them and the state and their community. It's a different perspective than just, oh, we just want access to just smoke and get high. That is the other half that I think that people are overlooking in the industry of how important that is to really maximize this industry and really get consumers on board.
Speaker 1:Right. No. And I think that's that's a great point because I I I think it hasn't been stressed enough that it's not a % of the tax revenue isn't going to Albany. Forty Percent of that money is being returned to communities that were impacted. And as you said, 4% stays in the local community where that dispensary is is located.
Speaker 2:Herb, here publicly, I wanna thank you for your service, which you did at the OCM, Chris Alexander, Tremaine, Axel, etcetera. Because the truth is without you and the rest of the organization creating the most equitable program in the world, definitely The United States, there wouldn't be people like me existing because we saw that other places like the West Coast made their policies where somebody like me couldn't even operate or didn't even have a chance to participate in the industry. So I wanna give you your flowers here publicly, and thank you and all the other people in the organization for creating this amazing program.
Speaker 1:Well, that that's very kind and generous of you. Thank you. Now you and your partner, Ramon Reyes, have each received card licenses. Right? The conditional adult use retail dispensary licenses.
Speaker 1:And I know one is gonna be in Brooklyn and one's gonna be in, in Manhattan. So do you have any more specifics as to where those two will be?
Speaker 2:That is a great question. So I'll start with mine. Mine is going to be in Inwood on Dijkman.
Speaker 1:Alright.
Speaker 2:And I think that why that is so important, and I'm happy you asked that question is, Herb, because I had the option and the resources to open anywhere between Wall Street and 215, anywhere in the Island Of Manhattan. Mhmm. But I have eight years standing on stages all over the world and all over the country saying that I don't do it for the clout, and I do it for the culture. And, unfortunately, in Manhattan, the information has been bottlenecked between 96 and Wall Street. So everybody north of that really hasn't got access to the information, to the opportunities, and etcetera because, as usual, people, for some reason, think Manhattan is between 96 and Wall Street.
Speaker 2:Maybe maybe Wall Street and one's a hundred and twenty fifth, but there are another hundred blocks north of that. Mhmm. And I believe that, you know, me being a Latino, me being Dominican, that I had to go and be the person to show value in our in my community, show value in my people, and show them that you can pair being purposeful, being successful, and being profitable with doing the right thing. Because for some reason, people think that nobody smokes north of A Hundred And 20 Fifth Street, and I'm out to prove them wrong, Herb.
Speaker 1:Alright. And do you have a sense of how many people you you'll hire?
Speaker 2:We haven't finalized that. You know, we're in the middle of that, but I don't know. Maybe twenty, thirty people. I'm not sure, you know, as many as it takes.
Speaker 1:And it's one of the things that I've, you know, been talking about because I the the focus has been on licenses. Right? Not everybody's gonna get a license, but the opportunity to to to work in the industry, gain experience in the legal industry is a tremendous opportunity.
Speaker 2:And like I said, you know, going to a community like this, we don't only get to serve the community as far as, like, giving them access to this medicine, but also be an inspiration to everybody else in the community to be see that it's possible for somebody that looks like them to be in this position to participate in this industry. Yep. And I think that that is really necessary. And, also, you know, I'm an open book and also be able to spread the knowledge up there. I think it's so important because the learning curve has been really big because the information has been bottlenecked.
Speaker 2:And, I think that well, that's one of the places where people got arrested the most for cannabis, where a lot of this industry was built at.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And I think it's sad that the people operating don't see any value in the people or in those marginalized communities.
Speaker 1:And where the culture where a lot of the culture came from, and, and that's what we're talking about. Right?
Speaker 2:Exactly. Then my partner, Ramon, will be opening in Downtown Brooklyn Fulton Mall.
Speaker 1:Alright. That's not too far from me. Lot of train lines for him to take advantage of.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:Alright. So, you know, there there there's been a lot of news recently, on this data from the national survey on drug use and health. Right? And it showed that today, there are more daily cannabis users in The US than daily alcohol users, and that's about 17.7 versus 14,700,000, individuals. So what what comes to to your mind when you hear data like that?
Speaker 2:Well, what comes to my mind is that I think that that's been happening way before that data came out, but there weren't over 30 states legalized, so the data wasn't accessible. I think that the numbers are way higher than that, but we cannot see them until all the states go legal.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And I believe that it's really good for the industry and for society to see that this is surpassing alcohol, and there are less liabilities than people drinking alcohol from drinking and driving to, you know, just people being inebriated to people's health. So I think that this is a major milestone for the for the country and the world to see that this is plant is really the healing of a nation, and it's just the beginning. And it's already surpassing something that's been legal for, you know, almost a hundred years. So imagine how much more we have to go.
Speaker 1:That's a Barb Marley quote, and I've been, trying to, you know, wait for the appropriate time to use it. So so thank you for using it. Very good. Now I I know you were an advocate early on in what ended up leading to, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. And now you've seen where we are, you know, three years from from that point.
Speaker 1:What would you say now to the legislature, to, to the governor, and to the office of cannabis management?
Speaker 2:Well, I would say that, you know, that at the end of the day, it hasn't been perfect, but we can't let good get in the way of perfect. The reality is that I'm a student of this game, and I know what's happening throughout the country and throughout the world. There is no state that three years in has, you know, so many licensed operators that are small business, marginalized, and female owned, you know, minority owned dispensaries. There is more than, I think, double than the whole country combined. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And I believe that this is the best program in the country, and I think that we should be proud of it with all its flaws. It still beats whatever we're seeing in other states. So I wanna commend them because I know it hasn't been easy, but nothing in life worth having is easy. And that's why nobody chose to do anything so groundbreaking like this because it's easy to do the safe, typical, you know, contemporary thing. It's hard to do something groundbreaking like this, and I'm really honored to be from the Empire State.
Speaker 1:No. Well, thank you. You know, I I had a discussion recently with an attorney, for this program that compared New York and New Jersey. And while New Jersey really had a a a long head start, you know, about a year, at the time we were speaking, New York already had more dispensaries open than New Jersey, and New Jersey did, in my opinion, as you just said, did it the easy way with letting the big MSOs, the the multistate operators go first, and and New York state still had them beat. So I think, you know, that story and, you know, this is New York.
Speaker 1:Right? So so we're we're impatient, but that story really hasn't gotten out.
Speaker 2:And the truth is, Herb, that everybody is just focused on the right now. This is a infant that's three years old, this program, but will impact and affect people and generations for hundreds and hundreds of years. And I think that to make it as foundational and purposeful as it has been done, we will see how it will stand out from the rest of the country and the rest of the world as the decades go by.
Speaker 1:So last and most importantly, as the expert in cannabis culture, as a person who really helped set international cannabis culture, what's your favorite munchies snack?
Speaker 2:A munchies snack. I usually, go and either eat some Dominican cake or sometimes I I I dibble and dabble with my jalapeno chips and and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Alright. Alright. So where can people learn more and stay in touch with all things Happy Monkey?
Speaker 2:People can go to happymonkey.com. Happy monkey, monkey with a u, h a p p y m u n k e y Com. And there, they can check out our podcast. They can check out our merchandise. They can check out about our past events.
Speaker 2:Check where I'm speaking at, and check out us coming soon to a theater near them.
Speaker 1:Alright. Well, thank you, Vlad. Thank you so much. It's been a great pleasure and honor to speak with you today.
Speaker 2:Herb, remember something before I leave. Uh-huh. You're too blessed to be stressed. Things will get greater later. Always choose happy.
Speaker 1:Alright. Thank you. That was truly a great origin story from Vladimir Batista. Our next guests are two dynamic women, business owners, and board members of the Latino Cannabis Association, Sandra Jaquez and Indira Mojica. Welcome.
Speaker 3:Good morning. Good morning, Herb. Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 4:Good morning. Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, can you just, give us a little bit of background on the Latino Cannabis Association, the LCA, and how that came to to be?
Speaker 4:So the Latino Cannabis Association was founded back in March 2021 when recreational cannabis became legal in New York. And it's basically a group of entrepreneurs, business owners throughout the five boroughs, who decided to get together, put their resources, put some of their funds together to get educated about the cannabis industry. Some of our folks come from the restaurant industry, supermarkets, salons, HVAC or, you know, insurance, things like that. So without having the experience or the background in cannabis, but having the background in business
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:We all felt that we needed to have a part in this industry and bring our business experience to the industry and also to our community. You know, if someone's gonna open up a new business in our community, why not it be us or people that look like us, people of color, minorities, instead of having these big companies come in. So we did that, and that's that's how we got together a group of 25 to start and to try and and guide these 25 members, throughout this journey that seemed like it was going to be, you know, easy and turned out to be, you know, three years later, we're kind of still figuring it out. So I guess that's the short story.
Speaker 1:Alright. So, Sandra, what are the services provided from the association? Who's the association for?
Speaker 3:Well, the association is for anyone who wants to join. Like Gengita said, originally, we were 25 members who joined who wanted to go through the application process. But now that that's done, the association is now transitioning into more of a advocacy association. So we are acquiring members who are just interested in the whole process, knowing what, you know, cannabis is, how to get into the industry, any information that they might need and acquire to become a retail owner or cultivation owner, you know, any of the licenses that are available.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:So basically, we do advocacy, we do training sessions, we actually had a successful one, earlier this year where we were, bringing in people, you know, from the industry to give information to people who are just interested and need to know Mhmm. You know, or get information on cannabis.
Speaker 1:And, Indira, so what's been the experience so far with the Office of Cannabis Management? How many of your members actually applied and and and what's been the results so far? And I also understand that each of you are applicants as well.
Speaker 4:Yes. So I guess to add a little bit more to what Sandra said, we focus on advocacy. We focus on building coalitions. So we're also connected to other associations, other organizations throughout the city that focus on different things, just to kinda create an environment where everyone's connected and trying to be on the same page. So when we do wanna make a point of something that, you know, is wrong or is not benefiting us, we can go as a collective together.
Speaker 4:So those are some of the things we're focused on. So right now, in the association, after three years of a lot of work and a lot of, I don't know what's the nicest word to use, a lot of mess, maybe that's a good word, or a mess messy situation. We have one person who was granted finally, a cultivation license. So just to be clear, out of the 25 members, we did not have any card applicants. So it was just all social equity applicants.
Speaker 4:So for social equity, it's kind of like now is when it's it's our turn finally.
Speaker 1:Right. So so you're talking about the November 2023, application period and the December 2023 application period.
Speaker 4:Exactly. Exactly. So that's when it was finally our turn. So we've submitted. So still waiting.
Speaker 4:Just one license has been approved. We hope to see in the next month, you know, start getting more approvals.
Speaker 1:Alright. And and you yourselves, I mean, you're both applicants. I'm not sure whether it was both are in the November queue or one in each, but, what's what's your experience so far?
Speaker 3:Well, my experience is, as you said, I'm from the November queue. I'm still waiting. I was ranked in the 17 hundreds, more or less, I believe, for this lottery.
Speaker 1:And you're applying for a retail license?
Speaker 3:Yes. So it's been a very, very, very long wait. You know, I look at my emails every single day just to see if I get an email from OCM, but unfortunately, nothing yet. So I'm just patiently waiting, you know, I am very confident that I will get my license, but it's just been too long. You know, it's been very long, very excruciating, a lot of work, a lot of back and forths, a lot of ups and downs.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I do get super discouraged, but, you know, at the end of the day, I'm very positive and try to maintain positive. And we give that reinforcement to our members as well, you know, just tell them, hang in there, so you could have imagined how happy we were when we finally heard that one of our members got their license. So
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Yeah. We're just waiting.
Speaker 1:Yeah. No. And that is a general theme, you know, from applicants. You know, it's frustration, frustration, and then, together with, you know, the optimism, and I think that that's critical to remain optimistic.
Speaker 3:Right. And another thing that's very frustrating is because, obviously, especially for retail, we know, you know, you're not going to be able to have a store within a thousand miles. So it's it's like literally you see your chances. A thousand feet. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:A thousand miles. That's crazy. A thousand feet. So you see your chances sometimes just dissipating because, you know, what if someone who's in front of you Mhmm. Happens to open a store within a thousand feet, then your chances are gone.
Speaker 3:Then, you know, you're you're you're stuck now trying to look for another location or even seeing if the LCM will give you this license just because you have other people within a thousand feet.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:So it's it's very nerve wracking.
Speaker 1:Okay. Well, good luck. And and, dear, I I know you're, at a lower number than the 17 hundreds.
Speaker 4:So I'm going for a processing license tier two, and I am number 71 out of 540. So, you know, still waiting. I know the the state is focusing on dispensary license at the moment. So, you know, my turn will come, but in the meantime, I am paying rents on a warehouse every month. So that's definitely driving me a little crazy and digging a hole in my pocket, but I am remaining positive that this will happen for me sooner than later.
Speaker 1:And where is your location?
Speaker 4:Mount Vernon.
Speaker 1:So, you know, so on on behalf of, the organization, what do you think about the changes that we've all seen recently, announced in Albany? There's new laws to go after unlicensed shops. There's, so there's statewide enforcement efforts. And then, you know, the biggest, of of all is the the change in leadership.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. Well, being that I'm, you know, from the dispensary side, that's what I'm applying for. I'm actually very happy that finally they're taking the correct steps, you know, in closing down these illegal shops, not only is it hurting the city and the state, it's also hurting our communities because we're having these illegal shops selling to minors sometimes, or popping up right in front of schools, and, you know, we we don't know what they're selling to our children, and obviously the way that they're, you know, decorating these stores, it makes it so fun, and children could sometimes think, oh, you know, there are candy stores. So I'm actually very happy that finally the governor has taken, you know, firm action and steps into closing down these shops. And if they don't close, then the landlords will be reprimanded and landlords will be held accountable.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. So these are things that should have been done, I believe, a long time ago, but, you know, finally, it's never too late. And hopefully, you know, with this, we will see now more legal shops opening up because, obviously, these spaces will now open up as well Mhmm. To legal stores that are occupied by these illegal stores.
Speaker 1:Alright. Indira.
Speaker 4:For me, I'm I'm obviously very excited. I think it's the first time in the past year that, you know, we actually see results. Like, we've we've heard, like, different things happening, like, band aids being put on the issue. We heard they were putting padlocks before, and Mhmm. We heard that they were doing so many things.
Speaker 4:And now is the first time that I can walk outside in the streets and actually see these illicit shops being shut down.
Speaker 1:Oh, so so you've actually seen it?
Speaker 4:Yes. Definitely. In the neighborhood, I've seen it all over social media.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:So we've never experienced this amount of shops being closed ever, you know? So I'm excited about that. I'm excited about those changes. When it comes to the change in leadership, I'm a little skeptical about it. I just feel, you know I don't know.
Speaker 4:When you when you put someone new in again, a new person into a role that is their first time again into this role, like, are we gonna experience everything that we experienced before again? Sometimes I feel like it's it's it's better if you keep the same person in the row and
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:And give more resources, give more help, like point out everything that's wrong and then provide everything that they need.
Speaker 3:Because I
Speaker 4:think Mhmm. To me personally, I think that was a problem. The lack of resources. You can't expect someone to lead an agency and not have all the resources they need. So I'm a little worried about what are the changes that are gonna come with new leadership.
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And so you're concerned that things will slow down
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Just when you're starting to see them pick up.
Speaker 4:Exactly. Definitely. Those are my fated, and I feel really strong about that.
Speaker 3:Right. I'm with Indeed and the same thing. I just feel that, you know, this is gonna delay the process even more. And honestly, obviously, I've never been in a position to to open up a new agency, especially, you know, cannabis that's new to the industry, but, you know, why complicate things? Let's just try to to make it as easy as possible and streamline this process instead of, you know, trying to I just feel, and again, I'm not an expert, I've never done anything of this sort, but I just felt that some of the things were just super complicated and I think they tried to make it so perfect that it ended up so wrong.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. But hopefully, you know, if a new person does come in into this role, it doesn't delay the process, it just, maybe that person has more experience or has been in this situation before, who knows, and hopefully we will open up more stores and and get this industry up and running, how we all thought it would have, you know, at least a year ago, a year and a half ago.
Speaker 1:Now, Sandra, you're also president of the New York State, Latino, Restaurant Association. Is that is that still true?
Speaker 3:Yes. Correct. I am. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, as between the two, which one has been easier? How are they related and how are they different?
Speaker 3:Well, they're they're related because, obviously, I'm I'm working with people who are running their businesses. You know? Restaurants are restaurants, bar, and lounges. Cannabis is potentially cannabis business. So we all go through the same, you know, scenarios, the same hurdles, and that's why, you know, at the beginning, I said that the LCA will slowly be transitioning into more or less like the restaurant association where we do work for our members, you know, advocate for them.
Speaker 3:Because what's gonna happen eventually is, you know, new rules and regulations will pop up every single day Mhmm. And things are gonna happen that are either gonna benefit or not benefit our our industry. So we will be the voice for our members to make sure that certain things are done correctly and, you know, advocate for our members. So association, I would say, the restaurant association has been maybe a little bit better just because we've been nine years already in the running. Jeff Garcia used to be our president.
Speaker 3:I was his vice president. So I was behind the scenes at one point. Now that I'm at the presidential role, you know, it's easier because I had some experience already. And, of course, I'm a restaurant owner myself for twenty years, so I definitely know the ins and outs of the restaurant industry, whereas the cannabis industry is a new industry for everyone. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:So we're basically, you know, like the guinea pigs right now. We're we'll be the ones that are, learning through whole this whole process and gaining the experiences.
Speaker 1:Alright. No. And and as you know, Jeffrey Garcia was, was on this show in his capacity as executive director of the New York City office of nightlife.
Speaker 3:Yes. Yeah. Mhmm. Which we're very proud that he is as a restaurant owner, you know, and as a friend, we're very proud to have someone, you know, that looks like us be in that position and and be a voice for us.
Speaker 1:No. And he's doing a great job. Yes. So, you know, going to the advocacy side, what would be your message to the state on behalf of the Latino Cannabis Association? So whether that's the legislature, the agency itself, the governor.
Speaker 3:For me, I'm just gonna keep it simple. You know, let's close down these stores, these illegal stores, and let's continue giving out these licenses, please. Let's streamline them. Let's get people up and running. Let's get these businesses up and running because just like Edida said, you know, she's paying rent and there's hundreds of thousands of people in that same position, you know, that cannot afford to continue paying rent and not knowing, you know, when when this is gonna happen.
Speaker 3:So let's just keep on working, opening up more shops, and getting this industry up and running because there's hundreds of millions of dollars to be made.
Speaker 1:Well said. Indira?
Speaker 4:My message would be continue to close the list of jobs, but most importantly, hire more people.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:Hire more people for that agency. They need to go on a hiring spree, and they need to hire, like, 50 more people so that they can review these applications, so they can communicate with us, so they can respond to emails, pick up the phone, answer our calls. They just need more people, more humans working in that office.
Speaker 1:Alright. Well, thank you so much for your time today. It's been a great pleasure to speak with you. Good luck to you both on the applications. And, and hopefully, when, when those come through, we'll we'll get back on the show and and talk about what you guys are doing.
Speaker 4:Definitely. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening. We'll be back in two weeks with a special episode discussing all the lawsuits that have been filed against OCM and try to answer the question, is it OCM or is it DMRTA? If you're enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. That helps new listeners find the show. Joint Session is produced by me, Herb Balbo with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson with Rebecca Malpica on digital marketing and social media.
Speaker 1:In addition, thank you to Canada Swire. You can find us on Instagram at joinsession.pod. That's one word, joinsession.pod. And on LinkedIn at join session podcast. Thank you.
