Rebekah F. Ward reports for the Times Union that New York's cannabis board on June 1 started passing regulations to allow retail sales of cannabis, after state legislators legalized the drug last year. The new board voted for standards for drug testing facilities and to ban cartoonish branding of cannabis. Tremaine Wright, chair of the Cannabis Control Board, said said the board started with these regulations to ensure recreational cannabis is labeled, packaged, and tested for safety. "We also recognize the need to expand our cannabis laboratory testing capacity within the state to ensure we have enough third party labs online and ready to properly test regulated cannabis products," Wright said. The board, for instance, mandated child-safe containers and standard warning labels on all cannabis products sold in the state. Cannabis sales are expected to begin later this year or next year, when the board completes setting up all regulations. Read more about this story in the Times Union.