Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that New York's Office of Cannabis Management began accepting applications from anyone wanting to open a legal cannabis store on Oct. 3 through Dec. 4. Previously, New York only took applications from someone who has been convicted of a marijuana-related offense or someone whose parent, spouse, child, legal guardian or dependent has been convicted of a marijuana-related offense in New York before March 31, 2021. New York has been criticized for a super-slow rollout of legal cannabis stores, with only a handful open across the state more than two years after legalization, and none locally. Tremaine Wright, chair of the New York State Cannabis Control Board, said the expansion “marks a huge step forward in making our vision of an equitable and accessible New York cannabis market a reality.” But because of the slow application process, those applying for stores now won't have them open for sometime. The Cannabis Control Board has issued 463 conditional cannabis licenses so far, but only 19 retail dispensaries and four temporary delivery-only locations have opened in the state, none closer than Albany. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.