OCM

The New York Office of Cannabis Management is the independent state agency created by the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), signed March 31, 2021 (Cannabis Law, Chapter 7-A). OCM operates under the five-member Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and administers the state's medical, adult-use, and cannabinoid-hemp programs; it sits administratively within the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control but is independently governed. OCM's early implementation was marked by litigation, slow license issuance, and enforcement struggles, culminating in a March 2024 "unsparing" report commissioned by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Leadership has turned over rapidly: founding Executive Director Christopher Alexander departed in 2024; Acting Executive Director Felicia A.B. Reid was dismissed in December 2025 following a failed enforcement action against processor Omnium Canna; on February 26, 2026, Gov. Hochul appointed John Kagia as Acting Executive Director, with State Senate confirmation pending. CCB Chair Tremaine Wright continues to serve. OCM also administers the state's conditional cultivator and retail programs and runs a social-equity framework distinctive for targeting justice-involved individuals. *→ See also: Social equity, → see also [Part 7]: CAURD, Licensee