New York State – Office of Cannabis Management issued four more businesses in the North Country a provisional license to sell recreational marijuana.

All four potential business owners are “justice-involved”, meaning they or a family member was convicted of a marijuana-related offense in the past.

According to the state Office of Cannabis Management, the four licensees are:

DLM Retail, LLC- Owned by Darian L Maslin, Gerald L Stone, Dale T White, and Rowen M White in the North Country Region of New York State. For (21) years Darian L Maslin, a justice-involved applicant, owned & operated Ice House Antiques& Collectables a retail antiques and collectibles store in Massena, New York

ADIRONDACK ADVANTAGE LLC- Owned by Kristopher R Charland in the North Country Region of New York State. For (5) years Kristopher R Charland, a justice-involved applicant, owned & operated Adirondack Ad Vantage LLC- printing and marketing company.

Nelsonkicks LLC- Owned by Brian E. Mandell in the North Country Region of New York State. For (3) years Brian E. Mandell, a justice-involved applicant, owned & operated Nelsonskickz a merchandising company.

North Country Cannabis LLC- Owned by Darren T. Polhemus in the North Country Region of New York State. For (14) years Darren T. Polhemus, a justice-involved applicant, owned & operated Antique Collectible Sole Proprietorship in Altona, New York

Dale White, co-owner of DLM Retail, LLC said the next step in this process is to find a proper location and getting the location approved by the NYS Office of Cannabis Management.

He stated, “We have 7 north country counties to choose from (St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Jefferson and Lewis Counties).”

Adding, “It’s too early to tell where we will locate but it definitely will not be in Akwesasne, and it doesn’t make business sense to locate anywhere near the Reservation because of the number of stores there.”

As for a name, they are still working on it.

This off-reservation license project was White’s idea to include his twin children Rowen and Ryan. Ryan tragically passed before this came to fruition. Now, this will become part of his family’s legacy.

White stated, “Both Ryan and Rowen were going to be part owners. I took over Ryan’s share of ownership after he passed away, so this business can be passed on to his children.”

Many in Akwesasne wonder how White will balance being a prominent figure in local tribal state of affairs and being a business owner and business arena that sometimes turns controversial.

When asked, will this be a conflict of interest, White stated, “No, I don’t think so because the cannabis business created for SRMT-licensed cannabis businesses is a seed to sale business that exists entirely within the reservation. My company’s business is located entirely off-reservation and will not compete with any reservation stores. But I am very sensitive to any questions of a conflict. Since I will be dealing with NYS Office of Cannabis Management on a regular basis on behalf my company and also dealing with that office at times on behalf of the Tribe, I will formally recuse myself from that type of cannabis work. If the Cannabis Board wants me to recuse myself from all cannabis work, I will do that.”

The four licenses are part of ninety-nine NYS Office of Cannabis Management issued statewide last week. This is the latest in NYS’s rollout of sales of recreational cannabis licenses. New York legalized the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana for consumers two year ago.