Cannabis Association of NY loses bulk of its board of directors
Leadership Shake-Up at the Cannabis Association of New York as Four Board Members Resign.
Four board members at the Cannabis Association of New York resigned last week in another shake-up at one of New York State’s largest cannabis industry trade groups.
Daniel Dolgin, David Falkowski, Jason Klimek and Owen Martinetti all left CANY’s board last week, the organization confirmed.
“CANY is deeply thankful for the voluntary work our board members put in day-in and day-out in their demanding roles,” said CANY President Damien Cornwell in a statement provided to NY Cannabis Insider. “That includes the two long-time members who were reaching the end of their terms and two others who will remain in their roles on the CANY policy committee.”
Falkowski, the founder of Long Island-based processing company OMO Labs, LLC; and Klimek, an attorney and co-leader of the cannabis team at law firm Barclay Damon, said they resigned because CANY is deprioritizing advocacy for policy issues.
In an interview with NY Cannabis Insider in December, Cornwell said he planned to shift CANY from being primarily an advocacy organization to more of a Chamber of Commerce trade group. He also said he planned to create an advisory council, which would help CANY form policy positions and serve as better partners with the Office of Cannabis Management.
Falkowski, who co-chairs CANY’s Policy Committee with Klimek, said he has no ill will toward Cornwell. He said he understands CANY’s shift in its mission, but that he’s passionate about policy issues, and wants to continue focusing on them.
“It’s becoming more of a Chamber of Commerce … that’s maybe not the direction that I want to continue to work in,” Falkowski said. “It’s just not the work that I’m necessarily attracted to.”
Klimek said he feels more aligned with the policy and advocacy work – with a focus on small- to medium-sized businesses – that CANY primarily did over the past couple of years, rather than the new direction Cornwell is taking the group.
“It seemed like we were becoming less policy focused and more a round table for all stakeholders – doesn’t matter the size of the business – to voice their issues,” Klimek said. “That kind of lost the focus of the organization for me.”
Both Klimek and Falkowski said they planned to continue their work with CANY’s Policy Committee.
Dolgin, the CEO and co-founder of cultivation company Eaton Botanicals said that while his exit coincided with the other resignations, he’d previously planned to leave the board on Aug. 1, because his term is up in 2025.
“I felt it wasn’t right for me to go into the new legislative session as a lame duck,” Dolgin said. “I felt Damien would be better served by having somebody come in who’s got new energy, new blood.”
Dolgin said he doesn’t believe four board members leaving at the same time will cause operational issues at CANY.
Martinetti, co-founder of cannabis brand Snoozy, didn’t respond to a NY Cannabis Insider request for comment, but his term on CANY’s board was also set to expire in 2025.
CANY formed in 2019, initially as the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association. The group was instrumental in passing cannabinoid hemp regulations in 2019 and grew into one of the largest – and possibly the most influential – cannabis trade organizations in New York State.
The group lobbied heavily to shift away from New York’s original potency-based cannabis tax and to loosen advertising restrictions for retailers – both of which happened this year.
The four exits come amid recent controversy and turnover at CANY as the organization has made efforts to operate more like a traditional business lobby.
CANY and Cornwell experienced a sharp backlash among many cannabis industry stakeholders – including some CANY members – when its board sent a letter in April urging state officials against issuing too many cannabis licenses. The letter urged caution and said too many licenses could risk flooding the statewide market.
Several CANY members who spoke with NY Cannabis Insider at the time said leaders didn’t tell members anything about the letter, and many felt blindsided when they first heard about it in a New York Post story.
CANY’s website currently lists its board members as:
- Damien Cornwell, CANY’s president and owner of Just Breathe dispensary in Binghamton.
- Franklin Henderson, who works for Cornell University Cooperative Extension in New York City.
- Nicole N’diaye, CEO of hemp cultivation company NAHE LLC and founder of hemp brand Bossiee Budz.
CANY lists its emeritus board members as:
- Allan Gandelman, CANY’s inaugural president, and founder of Head & Heal.
- Andrew Rosner, co-founder HR Botanicals.
In a statement, Cornwell said CANY is currently looking for potential board members who can provide perspectives from different parts of New York’s cannabis industry.
“We look forward to finding the right mix of board members to help us continue to grow into the chamber of commerce for New York’s cannabis industry, where we serve as both a policy mouthpiece for its needs and its most vocal promoter,” Cornwell said.
