Judge rejects a claim that New York’s marijuana licensing cheats out-of-state applicants

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A judge has rejected a challenge to New York state’s licensing program to sell legal marijuana. Aspiring vendors from California say the program unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state residents. The ruling Friday by a federal judge in Albany says the public interest in letting properly licensed businesses take over the state market outweighs the plaintiffs’ concerns. The judge says the main purpose of the Commerce Clause that plaintiffs say should open the market to out-of-staters doesn’t apply to the federally illegal cannabis trade. The ruling may clear the way for New York to issue hundreds of licenses to sell marijuana in a state where most sales occur at businesses without a cannabis license.