A dozen cannabis shops in New York are suing the state Office of Cannabis Management, arguing that a recent rule change threatens their businesses and the state’s equity goals.

The lawsuit filed in Albany Supreme Court challenges the recent reinterpretation of a state law requiring cannabis dispensaries to operate 500 feet away from a school. Since 2022, the Office of Cannabis Management measured that distance from a school’s entrance, but in July, it instead began measuring from the school’s property line.

Dispensaries in violation of the new rules are allowed to remain open for now, but are required to find new locations before their licenses will be approved or renewed, according to the Office of Cannabis Management's website .

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue the effects of t

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