ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, the self-imposed December deadline for recreational cannabis sales in New York looms. The Cannabis Control Board met this week in hopes of making more progress toward legal adult-use sales before the year ends.

Damian Fagon, the chief equity officer with the office of cannabis management, said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the state will see sales before the year ends. So far the Cannabis Control Board has issued 36 retail dispensary licenses, despite the ongoing lawsuit challenging the application process. Fagon said the goal of having retail sales in the state by the end of the year has motivated state regulators to make progress.

Also, this week, after a massive demand for Taylor Swift concert tickets crashed the website of ticket retailer Ticketmaster, some New York lawmakers are calling for legislation. Ryan McCall an attorney with the law firm Tully Rinckey, said this frustration is likely to bring action against Ticketmaster because of the widespread impact the delay had on would-be concertgoers.

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