BUFFALO, N.Y. — Could pizza or some other dish be infused with cannabis and then sold at restaurants? It's not out of the question as first reported in the New York Post.
Selling marijuana legally in New York could start this year. This does not mean it is legal to sell prepared foods with marijuana in it.
According to Aaron Ghitelman, spokesperson for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, "No business is currently licensed to add cannabis to prepared foods, and any entity currently doing so is acting outside the law and selling untested products that put consumers at risk. An application process will be established for an on-site consumption license and applicants seeking a license will have to meet its eligibility requirements and implement the regulations as designed by the Office - New Yorkers shouldn't expect to walk into their neighborhood pizza shop and purchase a cannabis-infused pizza."
New York State officials have not ruled out the concept of allowing pizzerias or other restaurants to serve cannabis-infused dishes. Ghitelman said, "The restaurants would have to apply for licenses to become adult-use consumption sites and comply with all of the regulations that that entails."
Local cannabis attorneys are keeping a close eye on this issue, calling it an opportunity for creativity.
Joseph Schaefer, of Lippes Mathias, doesn't see this becoming legal right away. "Is it going to be part of the first round of licensing, no? Will it be, I'm not ruling it out. I think there's definitely a possibility that it happens."
If it does happen, Schaefer said "there are going to be significance dosage requirements."
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