STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6700 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE May 12, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT to amend the cannabis law, in relation to regional cannabis mentors The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The cannabis law is amended by adding a new section 19-a to 2 read as follows: 3 § 19-a. Regional cannabis mentors. 1. The office shall, within thirty 4 days of the effective date of this section, establish and implement 5 regional cannabis mentors to provide support to persons inquiring about, 6 or participating in, the medical cannabis or adult-use cannabis indus- 7 tries. The office shall establish at least one such regional cannabis 8 mentor within each economic development region of the state, pursuant to 9 section two hundred thirty of the economic development law. Such support 10 shall include, but not be limited to, any of the following: 11 (a) providing information and advice to applicants for any license 12 authorized pursuant to this chapter, including assistance with complet- 13 ing applications; 14 (b) providing assistance to small businesses, including minority and 15 women-owned businesses, in participating in such cannabis industries; 16 (c) providing information and advice to any municipality or other 17 governmental entity on the effects of the provisions of this chapter; 18 and 19 (d) providing information and advice to any person inquiring about the 20 implementation of this chapter, including any future statutory and regu- 21 latory changes to this chapter. 22 2. The office shall establish and maintain such regional cannabis 23 mentors using any existing or future appropriations to the office for 24 the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11176-01-1

S. 6700 2 1 3. Each regional cannabis mentor shall provide assistance by electron- 2 ic and telephonic means. Such information shall be posted conspicuously 3 on the office's website. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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