The New York State Fair Promises a Fair Deal.
The New York State Fair Promises a Fair Deal.
Cannabis Is Still Waiting.
The New York State Fair promises visitors a “Fair Deal.”
You don’t have to support cannabis use to support fairness.
Education is not endorsement.
Information is not promotion.
If New York recognizes cannabis as a legal industry, licenses businesses, collects taxes, and promotes economic development, then why is cannabis still treated differently than alcohol at the New York State Fair?
For years, Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration and Fair officials have argued that cannabis is not appropriate for children. Yet families walking the Fairgrounds pass wine slushy stands, beer vendors, and alcohol promotions every day. Alcohol is also a 21+ product. Why is one adult-use industry visible while another remains largely hidden?
When the old grandstand and racetrack came down, acres of space opened up. I suggested a simple solution: create a gated 21+ area for beer, wine, spirits, and cannabis exhibits. Check IDs at the entrance and let all adult-use industries operate under the same rules.
The idea went nowhere.
I remember the first years after legalization. Fairgoers who wanted to consume cannabis were directed outside the gates and given pink wristbands. Some used designated smoking areas beyond the Fairgrounds, while others boarded a pink short bus to an off-site warehouse promoted as a cannabis destination. Once there, they found growers, packaging companies, and industry representatives, but no dispensaries and no cannabis products for sale.
The message was clear: alcohol belonged inside the Fair.
Cannabis belonged somewhere else.
Today, cannabis consumption is still prohibited on Fairgrounds property, although anyone attending the major concerts knows the distinctive aroma is hardly absent from the crowd. But this isn’t really about consumption. It’s about representation.
What made the situation even harder to understand was watching the Fairgrounds later host a cannabis convention while the industry itself remained largely absent from the Fair experience. Cannabis businesses could rent space. Cannabis entrepreneurs could pay to participate. Yet the industry’s first major event at the Fairgrounds came and went without even a welcome from Fair Director Julie LaFave.
New York collects cannabis tax dollars. New York licenses cannabis businesses. New York promotes cannabis as a legal industry. Cannabis has generated jobs, businesses, investment, and millions of dollars in tax revenue. Yet when it comes to the State Fair, New York’s newest legal agricultural industry still feels like the guest nobody wants to introduce.
Today the Fair celebrates agriculture, wine, beer, spirits, cider, dairy, and countless other industries. If the New York State Fair is truly a showcase of New York agriculture and economic development, then cannabis deserves a place in that conversation too.
Come on, Governor Hochul: The New York State Fair promises visitors a “Fair Deal.”
New York’s legal cannabis industry is still waiting for one.