900 apply for NY’s first licenses to sell recreational pot

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — More than 900 would-be pot shop operators have applied for a chance to open New York state’s first legal dispensaries for recreational marijuana. The state Office of Cannabis Management tweeted the news Wednesday. The state has said it plans to issue about 150 licenses in this first round, which was open only to people with past pot convictions or their relatives. A message was sent to the agency asking when the licenses will be awarded. There’s no exact date yet for sales to begin in New York. It’s expected to become one of the country’s biggest legal cannabis markets.