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SOPs & Operations: Daily Operations, Sales Rules, and Compliance for New York Dispensaries
Once your doors open, most enforcement actions come from day-to-day operational mistakes, not licensing errors. These include missed ID checks, POS errors, delivery violations, inventory mismatches, labor issues, and improper waste handling. This section explains the core operational rules dispensaries must follow to remain compliant during daily business.
What this section covers
This section provides guidance on:
- Sales operations, including ID checks, point-of-sale requirements, and transaction limits
- Delivery rules and restrictions
- Inventory management and METRC compliance
- Packaging and labeling obligations
- Labor, payroll, and employment compliance
- Waste handling, returns, recalls, and destruction
Sales operations (ID checks, POS, and limits)
→ View sales operations requirements
Sales compliance begins when a customer enters the store.
Dispensaries must follow rules related to:
- Age verification
- Intoxication and refusal of sale
- Point-of-sale systems
- Per-transaction limits
- Accurate sales records tied to inventory and tracking systems
Delivery rules
Delivery is permitted but tightly regulated.
Dispensaries must follow rules related to:
- Who is allowed to deliver cannabis
- Employment status of delivery staff
- Vehicle requirements and delivery manifests
- Age verification at the point of delivery
Inventory management and METRC compliance
→ View inventory and METRC requirements
Dispensaries are responsible for maintaining accurate inventory at all times. Inventory discrepancies can trigger enforcement even when no diversion is intended.
This includes:
- Logging product intake
- Secure storage
- Regular inventory counts
- Quarantining unsellable items
- Documenting adjustments
- Keeping POS and METRC records aligned
Packaging and labeling
→ View packaging and labeling requirements
Retail dispensaries may not repackage cannabis products.
Dispensaries are responsible for ensuring that:
- Products are sold as received from licensed processors
- Required warnings and statements are present
- Non-compliant products are quarantined and not sold
Labor, payroll, and employment compliance
→ View labor, payroll, and employment requirements
General labor laws apply fully to cannabis dispensaries. Labor violations can result in fines and affect license renewal, even when cannabis operations are otherwise compliant.
Dispensaries must comply with rules related to:
- Hiring and scheduling
- Minimum wage and overtime
- Payroll recordkeeping
- Termination procedures
Waste, returns, recalls, and destruction
→ View waste, returns, recall, and destruction rules
Unsellable cannabis must be handled according to strict procedures. Improper handling of waste and recalls is a frequent source of violations.
This includes:
- Tracking returned, expired, damaged, or recalled products
- Logging activity in POS and METRC
- Following approved destruction methods
- Executing recalls correctly and promptly
Why this matters
Most compliance failures occur during daily operations, not at licensing. Understanding and following operational SOPs reduces the risk of fines, stop-sale orders, and license issues.
Common causes of enforcement include:
- Missed or improper ID checks
- POS and transaction errors
- Delivery violations
- Inventory discrepancies
- Non-compliant packaging
- Labor law violations
- Improper waste handling
Source Material
- MRTA
- 9 NYCRR, Subtitle B, Cannabis Regulations
- OCM Guidance
- METRC New York Guidance and Bulletins
- NYS Labor Law and NYC labor requirements
- NYS Department of Taxation and Finance guidance for cannabis taxes
