Cannabis Workforce Initiative

The New York State Cannabis Workforce Initiative is a collaboration between the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and the Workforce Development Institute. Our mission is to promote and support social equity in the adult-use cannabis market by providing quality workforce development and legal education. Our work, supported by budget appropriation, prioritizes diversity, equity, and quality jobs in the emerging cannabis industry through skills training, entrepreneurism services, workforce supports, legal education for employees and employers, and the development of high-road career pathways. After years of advocacy, New York State has passed legislation that will lead to a statewide market for adult-use cannabis. The legislation—known as the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA)—has wide-reaching implications for workforce development programs and policy. Among them, MRTA prioritizes those harmed by the prohibition of cannabis by establishing a goal to award 50% of business licenses to social equity candidates. This goal puts New York at or near the head of the pack in terms of state-level, restorative justice cannabis policy.