New York’s dispensary distance rules, explained.
New York’s proximity-law fix changed the measurement and protected affected locations.
From the archive · This article explains the February 2026 law covered in the original In The Know series.
For a dispensary, the measurement can determine whether a location works at all.
New York’s proximity dispute put approved locations and operating businesses in limbo. Legislation signed on February 11, 2026 addressed how distance is measured between adult-use cannabis retailers, schools and houses of worship.
What the law measures
The law retains restrictions on locations on the same street: 500 feet from a building containing a school and 200 feet from a building exclusively occupied as a house of worship. The distance runs in a straight line between the centers of the nearest qualifying entrances.
The entrance definition matters. The text distinguishes doors regularly used by students, worshippers or customers from emergency exits, delivery access and other excluded entrances. It also addresses buildings set back from the public thoroughfare.
Why the change mattered
The earlier controversy centered on the difference between OCM’s door-to-door approach and the property-line standard in the prior statute. The change had consequences for businesses that had already relied on a location approval.
The February legislation codified an entrance-based approach and included protections for affected licensees and qualifying applicants. Those protections addressed the uncertainty surrounding the ConBud litigation and the approaching end of a temporary injunction.
What an operator needs to check
The useful questions are specific to the site: which entrances count, how the measurement is taken, what approval was issued and whether the location falls within the law’s protections.
A headline about grandfathering does not replace the underlying location record. Keep the written approval, submission history and relevant measurements together when reviewing an application or renewal.
The fix gave affected businesses a firmer basis for their locations. The details still live in the entrance, the measurement and the approval history.