Cannabis Consumer Advocate Tiffany Walters Warns NYS Lawmakers of Growing Threat to Legal Market and Public Safety

February 27, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cannabis Consumer Advocate Tiffany Walters Warns NYS Lawmakers of Growing Threat to Legal Market and Public Safety

Albany, NY — Tiffany Walters, CEO of New York State Cannabis Connect and a board member of the Empire State Green Standard Alliance, testified yesterday before the New York State Legislature’s Joint Budget Hearing on Economic Development, urging lawmakers to address the urgent threat of cannabis supply-chain “inversion” and to strengthen protections for consumers and compliant businesses.

In her testimony, Walters emphasized that New York’s estimated 3 million cannabis consumers generated approximately $197 million in tax revenue last year, underscoring the importance of protecting the integrity of the legal market.

“Legalization promised transparency, product safety, and accountability,” Walters told lawmakers. “Cannabis inversion threatens all three.”

Walters explained that inversion — the laundering of illicit cannabis into the regulated supply chain — is one of the most serious risks facing New York’s legal market today. She warned that when unregulated products enter licensed retail channels through fraudulent sourcing, compromised testing, or false documentation, critical safeguards such as seed-to-sale tracking, laboratory testing, and manufacturing standards are bypassed.

“Consumers believe they are purchasing safe, tested cannabis,” Walters said. “In reality, they may be exposed to pesticides, heavy metals, or inaccurate potency labeling. That is a public health risk and a market integrity failure.”

Walters cited real-world examples, including the Lexichrome and Omnion Health cases, as evidence that inversion is not a hypothetical concern but an active and growing problem.

Beyond consumer safety, Walters highlighted the economic harm caused by inversion, noting that compliant, licensed operators invest heavily to meet New York’s regulatory requirements, while bad actors who evade the rules can undercut prices and distort competition — ultimately destabilizing the legal market and pushing consumers back toward illicit sources.

To address these challenges, Walters urged lawmakers to support the Cannabis Supply Chain Integrity and Anti-Inversion Act (S8951 Cooney-D), which she described as a necessary step to close regulatory loopholes, strengthen enforcement, and protect consumers before harm occurs.

She also stressed the importance of workforce development as a frontline defense against inversion.

“A properly trained workforce is essential,” Walters said. “Educated employees understand compliance, chain-of-custody procedures, and documentation requirements. They can recognize irregularities, educate consumers, and identify warning signs before unsafe products ever reach store shelves.”

Walters concluded by calling inversion a direct threat to consumer safety, market fairness, and the credibility of New York’s regulated cannabis system.

“This legislation is about maintaining trust,” she said. “It’s about ensuring New York’s cannabis industry develops safely, responsibly, and in a way that truly protects the consumers.”

Download the press release here

Media Contact:

Joe Rossi

Email: joe.rossi@modernadvocacyllc.com

Website: www.greenstandardalliance.org